MLP Laboratories: Freak Show
by NeuPferdfurt
Summary: The ponies fight for their freedom... But what is real, and what is merely a nightmare? How can you tell these two apart?    A collection of short stories set in the 'MLP Laboratories'-universe, can be read without any particular order
1. The head

Twilight Sparkle frowned. Yet another strange dream.  
>Everything was green. Tiny bubbles appeared and disappeared randomly in front of her face. She thought she was hearing the ocean. Twilight had never been to the shore before, but she remembered how her father had once told her to press her ear against an big, colorful shell when she had been a filly. It was probably a false memory, an implant, but it was still strangely soothing.<p>

_"__If you listen carefully, you can hear the waves, Twilight. The memory of the sea."_

Of course by now Twilight knew that this was just a ponytale. You couldn't trap the ocean in an empty shell.  
>Or a jar.<p>

Was _this _a jar?

And more importantly, was this even a dream?

The young pony honestly couldn't tell. Everything seemed so unreal...

_We are floating_, she thought, _we are all floating down here_...

She was so tired.

_Have to focus._

* * *

><p>This unicorn pony certainly was a fascinating specimen.<p>

The young researcher looked into the microscope again. He had never seen brain cells mutate at a ratio like this. If he and his colleagues were right, they had stumbled on the biotechnological equivalent of a goldmine. This brain alone compensated Them for all the losses suffered through the collapse of the 'Ponyville'-sector...

He turned around to check on the head. It was floating in a jar full of nutrients, connected to several cables and pipes.  
>The eyes were closed. It almost looked like she was sleeping.<p>

"You're a pretty one, aren't you... A cute little freak show..."

The researcher grinned. One thing was sure: This pony wouldn't give Them any more trouble. Which was a good thing, too. She and her little friends had been surprisingly feisty. Not feisty enough, of course. The mere thought of a bioconstruct outsmarting its creators was preposterous.

Now her smart little head was floating in a jar. Was it still alive? Of course- at least in a way. This unicorn's brain was too precious to be simply plucked apart. Still, for this little pony, the adventure was over. Lights out.

He nodded at the guard who was standing next to the door. The man nodded back.  
>Just two men working late at night.<p>

* * *

><p>Something bothered the guard, however. A tiny noise coming from a desk on the other side of the lab. The scientist didn't seem to notice, but it was driving the guard insane.<p>

Finally, he gave up. He left his post at the door and went looking for the source of the annoyance. It sounded like someone was scribbling frantically on a piece of paper. But he and the researcher were the only ones supposed to be here at this hour. And the guard didn't see anyone else. Yet the noise was there.

Mice? That was highly unlikely, considering how sterile this place was.

The noises were emanating from the top drawer of a desk. So it was something tiny. Maybe they did have vermin after all.  
>He pulled it open.<p>

At first, his brain was unable to process what he was seeing.  
>It was a piece of paper with a pen on top. Only that the pen was moving on its own. Writing a message.<p>

_Ghosts are real_, was all the guard was able to think before he was knocked unconscious by the back of his own rifle.

* * *

><p>The scientist was completely lost in his work. He didn't see the guard fall and being dragged behind the desk, even though his peripheral vision might have allowed him to notice the movement. He didn't hear anything because of his earplugs.<p>

He only noticed that things had gone terribly wrong after something had poked him in the back.  
>He flinched and turned around, frustrated by the prospect of having to interrupt his research.<p>

What he saw was the guard's rifle floating in the air, pointing directly at his head.  
>Then he heard an all too familiar sound. The gun was cocked.<p>

The man didn't dare to move. He had already peed his pants.  
>The gun came closer until it was gently touching his cheek.<br>The scientist started to whimper.

The rifle started poking him again. Apparently he was supposed to turn around and look at his desk.  
>And sure enough, a piece of paper came flying across the room, landing right in front of him.<p>

Due to the circumstances, it took him a while to decipher the note.

* * *

><p><em>My name is Twilight Sparkle.<em>

_I know what you have done to me._  
><em>You will die unless you do exactly what I tell you.<em>

_First of all, you will have to put me back together._  
><em>I know you can do it. The rest of me must be around here somewhere.<em>

_Don't try anything funny._  
><em>I am watching you.<em>  
><em>I am watching you through my eyes, and even through your own.<em>  
><em>I can see everything.<em>

_Sincerely yours,_

_Twilight Sparkle_

* * *

><p>The researcher looked at the ponyhead floating in that jar. It had opened its feakishly large eyes now. Looking at him.<p>

He knew they should have removed the horn.


	2. beastmaster

"Fluttershy... There you are."

Twilight Sparkle had found the pegasus in the ruins of her former home. What Fluttershy once used to think of as her cottage had actually been the entry to a set of smaller laboratories which had practiced animal testing. Now she was standing amidst the broken glass and the lifeless robot arms, staring into the darkness.

"Why have you come here all by yourself? We were worried about you."

"...There is still one left."

"One of the animals?"

Most of the smaller creatures had perished since the cataclysm, but Fluttershy had managed to save some of them, and they were currently sharing the improvised shelters with the ponies. The question about the future of the "non-pony" creatures had been one of the many subjects of discord during the last hours -no pun intended. A great number of ponies seemed to think that leaving them to die was the only option, since the ponies could not afford to waste any efforts on anything else but their own survival. As much as Twilight hated to admit it, this was by far the most rational option.  
>But what would become of Fluttershy? Under normal circumstances, she would never have abandoned her animal friends. Now her entire world was lying in ruins, including her own psyche. Could she even survive another blow? Pinkie Pie and Spike had told Twilight about the horrible things that had happened to their pegasus friend- not the least being the gruesome death of her rabbit Angel - and how they had finally decided to use plasmids to restore her brain. The Fluttershy in front of her was a patchwork of traumas and mutations, and it was all but certain whether this patchwork was viable.<p>

It was very dark in here. Twilight's light-spell illuminated little more than a tiny strip on Fluttershy's flank, since the pegasus was standing outside the light cone. Somehow, Twilight didn't feel like coming any closer.

"Fluttershy?"

"...Shhh. It's coming."

Now Twilight heard it as well. Further away in the direction in which Fluttershy was looking, there were horrid, sloshing noises. And they were coming closer.  
>Then there was the sound of breaking glass.<p>

"W-what is this?"

"...It's almost here. Please step back, Twilight. And be very quiet, it doesn't have eyes, but it can hear you."

Her hooves obeyed, ignoring the half-baked protests of her brain.

The creature started to roar, and the ground under Twilight's hooves was vibrating. A chunk of slime landed in front of her, and tiny drops of the same substance were sprinkled all over her body.

"...Hush now. I'm here."

To her boundless horror, Twilight saw how a great mass of slime- it happened too fast for her to tell whether it was a claw, a tentacle or something completely different - rose from the shadows and grabbed Fluttershy's head, pulling her into the darkness.

"Fluttershy!"

The creature replied to her cry with a bone-shaking howl, rushing towards her position.

The creature's head appeared in the light cone. At least Twilight thought it might have been its head, but there wasn't really a proper term to describe it.  
>In the very same moment, two yellow hooves rose from the creature's semi-fluid flesh, reached forward, sunk back in- and then there was a cracking sound, like a breaking branch.<p>

The monster fell to the ground, its slimy flesh rapidly dissolving, leaving behind a surprisingly delicate, bird-like skeleton. Fluttershy stepped out of the puddle.

"Y-you killed it."

"...It was nothing but pain. It had been waiting for me for a long time."

Fluttershy walked towards the exit.

"...There is nothing left now. Will you walk back to the shelter with me?"

Twilight shook off her terror and awe.

"Sure. Fluttershy... are you alright?"

"...No."

And that was the truth. It would have to do for now.

* * *

><p>Twilight noticed that Fluttershy was wearing a necklace, a gruesome talisman. It was a plastic string with two white bunny ears, swinging back and forth as she walked.<br>The unicorn pony shuddered.


	3. pony melt

Carrot Tops was looking into the mirror. She frowned.  
>Her mane was green. Of course it was. It had always been.<p>

Right?

Sure.

"Green is my color...", she said. But her voice didn't sound very convincing to her.

* * *

><p>"Orange", she said. She didn't know why she said it, but something about her reflection in the mirror this morning... Well yes, her mane was orange. Obviously. Her natural color. She had not dyed it.<p>

Later, when she was meeting up with her friends on Ponyville's market place, she almost asked them whether they had noticed any recent changes in her appearance, especially concerning her hair color. But that would have been silly, right?

* * *

><p>When she woke up the following day, her scalp and her lower back were itching again. Well, nothing unusual. It must have been this new shampoo she was using. Yes, and that probably also explained the changes... shifts! the <em>slight shifts<em> in hair color and texture.

The earth pony discovered quite a few hairs sticking to her pillow when she climbed out of bed. Nothing unusual either. Hair fell off at some point. Most natural thing in the world.  
>It was green hair, of course. Perhaps it looked a little <em>greener<em> than yesterday, but the color itself had not changed.

Ugh. Her legs felt a little shaky. So it was one of these days. No problem. It looked like Ponyville's pegasus ponies had staged a rainstorm, so she really had no other choice than to stay home, wrapped in a nice, warm blanket, drinking hot chocolate.

She sniffed, and something dropped from her nose right into her drink. Ewww. So maybe she was getting a little sick after all. No hard work, no shopping trips for this filly, at least for today. Another rainy day she would stay indoors, reading magazines.

* * *

><p>Arrrgh! The sun!<p>

She hissed.

Why was it so bright today? Carrot Tops was sweating like a horse. Even looking outside her window made her sick to her stomach, seeing the other ponies run around under the blazing sun. And oh, her head hurt so much. Her entire body felt sticky, and she noticed that she was leaving behind tiny, gooey puddles wherever she walked. There was no way she was going outside today. What this pony girl needed was a nice, cold shower.

Bad idea. Now her nose was running again. And her eyes. There were so many hairs sticking to the towel. And there was the sweat again.

Also, she was hungry, but the very thought of food made her feel even worse. Her throat was thick with slime, she wouldn't have been able to swallow even one bit. Conveniently, she had already run out of supplies. Say... how many days had she been at home anyway? Her hair was orange again, so it must have been Tuesday already. Never mind how she knew _that_.

Maybe she should ask her friends for help.  
>Ugh. Friends. Talking ponies. Ponies talking to her HEAD. How horrible was that?<p>

* * *

><p>Something was missing. She didn't know what withdrawal was, but she was starting to show the symptoms. She found herself digging aimlessly through her belongings, not even knowing what she was looking for.<p>

* * *

><p>Carrot Tops was lurking around in her little house, leaving trails of slime everywhere. She didn't even want to do anything anymore. Just lurk around in the shadows... and moan. She was pretty sure she couldn't do anything else now. She couldn't even think straight.<p>

What was happening to her?  
>She had caught a cold. A very nasty cold. But it would go away. Colds always did. No need to go to a doctor. Colds come two days, stay two days, go two days, that's what her mum used to say.<p>

Now there were teeth dropping out of her mouth.

Oh Celestia...

Carrot Top was crying. She used to be so pretty. And now... now...

There were red, glowing eyes in the darkness. Watching her. Indifferent to her suffering. Waiting.

What day was this? Her mane was green. What was left of it, anyhow.

* * *

><p><em>"Did you find the subject?"<em>

_"Dude, it's all over the place. That sorry little thing didn't even last a week."_

The two remote-controlled drones were hovering through the structure. There was rotting, dissolving flesh everywhere. They were able to locate several organs that still seemed to be in good shape, ready to be recycled.

_"We need to be sure there is nothing alive left in here."_

_"Come on! Nothing can live without... you know... All the things that are supposed to be attached to you."_

_"We need hard evidence that the experiment was a success."_

_"_Hard_ evidence? Good luck with that. I'll just scoop up some of that slime..."_

_"There we go. Have a look at that."_

In one corner of the room, there was a blank pony-skull lying in a puddle. There was a single, green hair still attached to it.

* * *

><p><em>Many weeks later, after the collapse of the Ponyville-sector.<em>

Spike gulped.

This was it. Everypony was staring at him, listening carefully to every little breath that came out of his snout, turning their large, muscular ears towards him, the openings of their auditory canals gaping like little, hungry mouths. Finally, he got their full attention.

And he was scared. Being of a shy nature is no problem as long as no one is paying attention to you. You are free to rant and gloat and even to make huge public announcements when you know no one is actually paying attention to you. But now...

"For Pete's sake, dragon-boy, spill yah beans already!"

"W-well... Okay then. Listen, girls... We have a huge problem..."

"You don't say! The ponies are cold, hungry, scared, and we have no idea where to go, so we lurk around in this rubble, leading the ponies around in circles..."

"NO! Ahem, no. These are big problems, sure. But I'm afraid we have an even bigger one..."

"Now that's just peachy."

"Mind to tell us what this problem is, Spike?"

"How to put this delicately..."

"Well?"

"Body Melt."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm sorry, but that's how it is. You see, I didn't really think about this when there were so many other things going on..."

"Get to the point! You're freaking us out."

"Ponies are unstable. You have no idea how messed up you are inside... Your bodies and brains produce the stuff our creators need, but they were not meant to survive out of captivity. When the system was still working, you received drugs and infusions that would stabilize your bodies on a regular basis. Now that the machines are all destroyed... I have no idea where we can get this stuff. And without it, you will die. Your flesh will rot on your bones."

"SPIKE!"

"Sorry, I got a little carried away... But yeah, I believe that's what is going to happen. They have run tests to confirm this, you know. Remember a pony called Carrot Tops?"

"No?"

"There you go."

The ponies were looking at each other.

"I-I don't know about that... I feel fine."

"Yeah, me to!"

"Let's get this medicine-stuff anyway, just to be on the save side."

"YES! On the save side. I like the sound of that."

* * *

><p>"BODY MELT!"<p>

Pinkie Pie was running through the tunnels, hitting one hoof against a casserole, yelling

"BODY MELT!"

Twilight Sparkle didn't think that was very helpful.

-  
>They all felt a little itchy this evening.<p> 


	4. The patient

Twilight couldn't move. Her pose was completely unnatural, her front legs were tied away by some sort of jacket.  
>She needed to get up. She needed to get away from this place. She couldn't quite remember why that was, but oh, she was scared, so scared. She felt so overwhelmingly helpless that she started screaming.<p>

Somewhere she heard Pinkie Pie giggle.

"Uuuuh, Tweelee is making the loud noises with her head again!"

Someone was running around in circles, chanting "Head noises, head noises!". Was it Rainbow Dash? And the blonde one in the corner, chewing on one ear of a plush bunny... was that Fluttershy?

A door was opened, and two big ones in white clothes appeared, holding Twilight down with their big, strong arms.

"Shhh, quiet, girl... Dude, give me the syringe."

_No needle!_ The needle was bad! Twilight doubled her efforts, but in vain.

"There we go... This one is getting more difficult to deal with by the day."

"She's creeping me out, I can tell you that. Did you hear these screams? Jesus, she sounded like a freakin' horse..."

The voices faded away.

* * *

><p>When Twilight opened her eyes again, she was sitting on a chair. All her friends were there too. And opposite to her, on the other side of the circle, there was a man, one of the finger-people. He had a long, white beard and glasses.<p>

"There you are, Tara. The tenders told me you have been a naughty girl. Let's talk about that."

"I'm not Tara, I'm Twilight... Twilight Sparkle... Who are you?"

"Why, I'm your doctor, Doctor Fohlman. You have been seeing me for years."

Twilight was shaking her head. She was feeling so very dizzy. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

"Tara... "Twilight", please tell me what is wrong with you. I am your friend. I am here to help."

"Ponyville... It's all a lie... All of this is WRONG! There is tunnels, and pipes, and dark places, and needles, and robots... We need to get out... Out... Out..."

"Yes, Tara. Ponyland is just a dream. That much is true. It is a nice dream, a dream where you could have fun, and play... It was a very good dream. But something happened to that dream. Somehow, it got bad. You're not a happy girl anymore, and you're causing a lot of trouble, you know that?"

"It was a LIE! We needed to break through! Spike told me..."

"Spike? Oh, do you mean this?"

The doctor pulled a little purple plush dragon out of his pocket. He put it on Twilight's lap.

"Did that doll tell you nasty things?"

Twilight was staring down on the plushie.

"Spike is real..."

"No, Tara. Spike is imaginary. Can you see now? It is all in your imagination! But now you're imagining bad things. And that's bad."

Twilight started crying.

"It's not true... It's not true... Spike is real... And you're all just a bunch of trolls... But we'll show you..."

"Tara, I need you to listen to me. You are making everyone miserable. Yourself, your little friends, and us, of course, the people who care about you.  
>It's your dream, Tara. You control it. You can dream nice things again. We need you to dream nice things. Look around you! Reality is cold and boring and sad.<br>Just look at yourself..."

Twilight was looking down at her torso, wrapped in a straight-jacket, at her pale legs. Instead of hooves, there were... finger... toe... things. She flexed a few muscles, and they started wriggling around, like a bunch of little maggots. It was freaking her out.

"You and your friends, you were playing ponies, what a pretty idea! The little jackets keep your hands safely tucked away, but you still had your legs to run around, and magic, of course... I understand some of you can even fly! Now that's really cool!  
>So my request is very simple. Go back into your dream. But dream it right this time. Don't let this stupid old Spike tell you bad things! Maybe we should send him somewhere else..."<p>

The doctor reached forward to take the plushie away.

"NO!"

The doctor smiled.

"There there, Tara. You can keep him. But teach him some manners, okay?"

He sighted.

"Tara, you and your friends, you have to stay with us. You're a threat to yourself and to people around you.  
>They see you as their leader, Tara. They will follow you. If you're having scary thoughts, they will get scared as well. Leaders need to be responsible, Tara. You know that, don't you?"<p>

Twilight nodded under tears.

"That's right. You're reasonable. You're responsible. You know your little friends need you. So what will you have to do?"

Twilight snorted. She was still feeling dizzy. Thinking was hard. But the doctor said...

"I... I need to bring them back to the dream. Not make scary noises or say scary things... So we can be happy again..."

"That's right."

The doctor brought his big, friendly face closer.

"I need you to eat your candy, and go back to Ponyland. Where you can heal, and play... And you'll be my little ponies again..."

In a fluid movement, Twilight rose from her chair and kicked the doctor in the face, sending him to the other side of the room.

"WE ARE **NOT** YOUR LITTLE PONIES!"

"Yeah! You show 'em, Twilight!"

"You rock! Woo-hoo!"

The other girls jumped of their chairs as well, dancing and stomping in approval.

* * *

><p>"<em>ENOUGH!"<em>

The sterile decor was falling apart. Black robot arms rose from the shadows, grabbing one pony after the other and pulling them away.

The doctor's face was changing. It was made of shiny white metal, with glowing eyes.  
>Because the doctor wasn't a doctor at all. It was Princess Celestia, with her android voice.<p>

"_TWILIGHT! You're going to pay for this! My patience is running low! I will break you, Twilight Sparkle, and if it's the last thing I'll do!"_

Twilight's mind was drifting away again, but this time, she was smiling.  
>She couldn't tell what was real and what was not, but there was one thing she knew for sure: That kick... It had felt so good.<p> 


	5. stress, or: an itch to scratch

Rarity had a visitor this night.

It was a little metal sphere with a glowing, red eye. Floating just above her belly.

"Hello, Rarity", it said in an all too familiar voice.

"No", Rarity gasped, paralyzed with fear, not knowing whether she was dreaming or not, "it can't be you!"

"Remember how you murdered me?", the sphere said in the cheerful voice of a young filly, turning Rarity's spine to ice, "I think you deserve some punishment."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

"I need to borrow your twisted, ponycidal brain. Don't worry, it won't hurt much. Or maybe it will. Guess we'll find out soon enough."

Rarity wanted to scream, but the sphere had started sending hypnotic beams of red light into her eyes, and Rarity felt her mind fill with ice-cold darkness.

After a while, the metal sphere just dropped to the floor, lifeless, another piece of junk in this decaying junkyard, leaving Rarity panting and shaking in her bed.

* * *

><p>Twilight Sparkle didn't feel like opening her eyes, let alone get out of bed.<br>But no. She had responsibilities.

She moaned as she crawled out of her sheets.

"Spike."

Spike was still snoring in his little basket.

"Spike. Get up. It's a brand new... day...period... in psychotic nightmare land."

Spike said something unintelligible and put the pillow on his head. Twilight just flipped the basket.

"Uuugh... That was uncalled for."

"Everything is uncalled for... Be a dear and make me a hot chocolate while I go through the morning paperwork- unless you want to switch places."

"I'm on it!"

"That's what I thought."

Twilight went to her little makeshift desk, the rings under her eyes almost dragging on the floor, but stopped on the way to take a look outside her tent.  
>As far as the eye could see, there were tents and similar shelters, camp fires, nests and above all, creatures. Creatures of all shapes and sizes. Most of them were ponies- Buddhist ponies being their newest addition-, but they also had manticores, griffins, hydras and -of course - diamond dogs. So many diamond dogs, suffering from gem-withdrawal.<p>

And she, Twilight Sparkle, had become supreme ruler of them all. At least until she would finally figure a way to get them all out of this place. They called her "Sparklakus", which was cute, but it didn't quite make up for her daily efforts and sacrifices to keep them from eating each other.

"SPIKE! Where is that chocolate?"

"You seem a little cranky..."

"You don't say. I've been drugged all my life, I'm trapped in a living nightmare with a bunch of _imbeciles_, I've got a scalp growing on my..."

"**EEE-AH!"**

"_Someone calm down that donkey! _Anyhow, I'm afraid all of this is starting to take its toll."

"There there. I bet it's not all that bad. Let's see..."

He took the first document from the pile on Twilight's desk.

"...The griffins want meat, they say our synthetic food is making them sick..."

"Oh, horseapples..."

"Good thing you're bringing this up. That's another problem. You see, all the different creatures in the convoy need to eat, but that also means that at some point everyone needs to..."

"Please, no... Do we need to talk about that right now?"

"Well, this is leading to important sanitary problems, Twilight..."

"URGH. I hate my life."

* * *

><p>Like every day before the convoy would start moving again, Twilight was visiting Rarity's tent to check on her newest inventions- even though Rarity herself, in honour of her former career as a dressmaker, still preferred to call them "designs" or "compositions".<br>But something didn't seem right this morning. Rarity was someone who got up early, so Twilight was surprised to find that it was still dark inside the tent.

"Rarity?"

She found her sitting in a corner, wrapped in a black cloak.

"Don't come near me!"

"Is everything alright? You sound a little under the weather..."

"I think I might have caught a cold."

Twilight was immediately alarmed.

"Is it the body melt? Has it already gotten that bad?"

"No, Twilight, I think I'll just... I had a nightmare, you see. It was really strange..."

"Nightmares are the least of my worries... Please, let me have a look at you..."

"No!", Rarity hissed, but the purple unicorn pony had already pulled her hood off.

Rarity's eyes were almost black, the same color as the blood dripping from her nose. When her and Twilight's eyes met, she shivered and sneezed.

Black liquid was squirted out of her nostrils and landed right in Twilight's open mouth.

She was hit by a spasmodic cough and sank to the floor. Rarity too lost consciousness, as black liquid filled her eyes and her throat.

* * *

><p>When they came to their senses, coughing and shaking, it seemed only a few moments had passed.<p>

"Uuh... What just happened?"

"I'm not sure... You came in to check on me... I think I was sick... But it's strange, I feel all better now..."

"We're all going crazy... I guess there is nothing unusual about _that_. Shall I help you to pack your things?"

"No thanks, Twilight, dear. I think I can handle it..."

* * *

><p>"Twillight!"<p>

The purple unicorn looked up. It was Rainbow Dash, who was patrolling from one end of the convoy to the other with her pegasi guard to keep the peace.

"Twilight, I'm afraid we have a bit of a situation back there. It's the griffins again. They have started attacking diamond dogs."

"I told you to keep them separated!"

Twilight's voice sounded unusually sharp. Rainbow twitched.

"We do what we can! But we can't take them all on, and they won't listen to us! Maybe if you talk to them..."

"I'm talking to them ALL THE TIME. I've really had it with these buffoons. Spike, you lead the migration while I go check on these _griffins_..."

"Eye eye, m'am..."

Several griffins and dogs were fighting, using beaks and claws at their leisure. There were no casualties so far, but plenty injured.

"Alright... WHO STARTED THIS?"

At least those fighting closest to her stopped what they were doing.

"It's them!", the griffins and the dogs cried, pointing at one another.

"He was trying to eat me!", one of the dogs complained.

"It was only a nibble, and I said I was sorry! But he just called his _zillions _of brothers and they started BEATING me... With PIPES."

"This is unacceptable! We can't migrate with monsters like THEM!"

"You're the ones spreading PARASITES to the entire convoy... And you're stealing our eggs!"

"That's not true! So far, we haven't succeeded even once!"

"ENOUGH!", Twilight yelled, "This is ABSURD. We all need to go on, and we have no time for your petty little quarrels! You will BEHAVE yourselves, or we will just leave you behind..."

"Well, you can't just leave us behind", one dog pointed out, "I mean, we would follow you anyway. And if you wouldn't share your food, we'd just attack you. So there."

"Not if we start cutting off body parts."

"Beg pardon?"

Rainbow Dash gasped.

"Twilight, what..."

"You heard me. I have been _shockingly _nice so far. But if you won't cooperate, I can adjust my approach any time. We have only limited food supplies, and we're running out of time. We don't NEED you. You're a BURDEN on the entire exodus. So I want you to SHUT UP and be GRATEFUL. Or else."

"Or else WHAT?", a griffin girl hissed, stepping forward.

Twilight's eyes started glowing. The griffin was paralyzed and lifted up into the air.

"What are you doing?"

"Rainbow, go fetch Rarity. Tell her to bring her biggest pair of scissors."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Twilight smiled.  
>"Change your attitude or you'll find out."<p>

"Alright, alright! Geez... You're creepy..."

Twilight put the griffin back on the ground.

"There you go."

In this very moment, five other griffins were jumping right at her.

Rainbow couldn't believe her ears: Twilight was laughing. And she sounded downright insane.

All three griffins were stopped in mid-air and thrown against the walls. Again. And again. Blood was raining down on the convoy, making many creatures squeak in terror and disgust.

Finally, she dropped her miserable victims.

"Did you have enough yet? I got much more where that came from!"

She stepped forward, laughing.

"Come on! I haven't had this much fun in ages! No one courageous enough to challenge my organizing skills? No? Too bad. Well, here's another suggestion... You there! And you! Follow my lead!"

The unicorn ponies she had pointed at shivered, but did as they were told.

Twilight was levitating griffins and diamond dogs and started to bang their heads together, lending psychic power to the weaker unicorn ponies assisting her.

"Twilight, do you really think..."

"NOT NOW! Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

Finally, Twilight and her henchmen stopped.

"There we go. I don't think I'm going to break anyone's legs today, but who knows..."

As she returned to the front of the convoy, she dragged a few unconscious dogs and griffins with her.

"I'm going to keep these for testing new methods of... crowd control. Let that be a lesson to the rest of you."

* * *

><p>"Why aren't we advancing anymore?", Twilight said in her new-found, chilling voice.<p>

"We have deactivated all security mechanisms in the sector, but these doors are giving us some trouble. Our explosives don't seem to work... Maybe you could do something with your magic...?"

Spike really didn't like her expression. Twilight's odd behaviour was starting to freak him out.

"Mind you, this is an excellent occasion to implement the new policies I have developed..."

"Policies...?"

She hopped onto the little cart that had all her belongings on it. When the convoy was moving, the cart was usually pulled by Big Macintosh or Applejack.

Twilight was checking a few notes she had written earlier.

"Ah, yes. You see, Spike, when I was taking care of that diamond dog/griffin problem earlier, I figured: Why waste so much time and energy on useless people? We need to find a method to make the exodus slim and energy-efficient."

The general mumble in the crowd grew louder. More and more creatures were wondering why the migration had stopped. And then some started fighting.

"Ah, perfect."

"How is that perfect?", Spike protested.

Twilight levitated a megaphone to her mouth.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to tell them it was the diamond dog's fault, that they were slowing us down."

She chuckled.  
>"Let's see what's going to happen... This is going to be great..."<p>

"WHAT? Twilight why would you do something like that?"

Spike jumped in an effort to catch the megaphone.

"To teach them a lesson. To show them who is the sole master of their destiny. But most of all..."  
>She grinned.<br>"...Because I CAN. I believe that I can divert the chaotic energies within this group against one particular minority, effectively calming the situation on their expense. And once they're all used up, we move on to the next minority. That's called putting your ideas to the test."

"NO, that's called toying with other people's lives!"

"With great power comes great privilege."

Spike managed to get hold of the megaphone. He put it behind his back.

"Ohhh, you shouldn't have done that. You should know better than to cross me, Spike."

"Twilight, what's gotten into you? That's not how you think! You want to save them, not torture them..."

"Who are you to tell me what I want? But now you've gotten me another idea..."

She lifted Spike up in the air and threw him into the crowd.

"LISTEN, ONE AN ALL!", she yelled into the megaphone, "WE HAVE A TRAITOR IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS A DOUBLE-AGENT ALL ALONG! WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT CALLS FOR?"

The ponies and other creatures had formed a circle around Spike, who was trembling all over.

"I-I..."

"So you little vermin thought you'd get away with this?"

"We'll show you!"

"Twilight Sparkle said he should be punished..."

"Make him bleed!"

His other pony friends were trying to get him out of the crowd, but even Rainbow Dash couldn't break through, as she was held back by other pegasi. And Twilight? She was laughing, a horrible laugh that was inspiring both fear and anger, a dangerous mixture. And it was all directed against little Spike.

"I say we have him torn apart by two stallions!"

"Forget the Stallions! I say GRIFFINS!"

"It's slower and more painful if we do it with ponies..."

"Good point."

"Twilight", Spike whispered.

* * *

><p>"That's quite enough of that, thank you..."<br>Rarity had appeared on the cart behind Twilight. The purple unicorn turned around, but Rarity had already paralyzed her.

"T-treachery..."

"Not really. I'd rather call it an... intervention. I know what's wrong with you, my dear friend..."

The white unicorn used a second spell. Twilight coughed. Later, she would describe the feeling as someone trying to pull your brain out of your nostrils while removing your eyeballs with an ice-cream scoop. The process was very slow (the crowd was watching and forgot all about lynching Spike- almost forgetting to breathe), but finally, something that resembled a horrid, black worm was pulled out of Twilight's nose. Everyone gasped.

Rarity released Twilight from her grip. By doing that, however, she also dropped the worm. It was starting to crawl away.

"Should we... squish it or something?"

The black worm uttered a mighty roar that should have been ridiculous considering its size, but proved shocking none the less.  
>Then, in front of their very eyes, its body inflated to match the volume. In an surreal growth spurt, it turned into a tentacled monstrosity, almost the size of a hydra.<p>

"Wow... that was inside my brain?"

"That _explains _everything!", someone feeling especially helpful exclaimed.

"I'm afraid I created him", Rarity told the younger unicorn, "But They just used me, beacuse, you know... I do create monsters occasionally. He was really meant for you. He's a parasite... I don't think he can cause all that much harm now... Now that we have identified him... He's just trying to intimidate us."

"He...?"

And really, the monster made no attempt to attack. Instead, it hissed and retreated into the shadows.

"Let's kill it!"

"Yeah! Grab the pitchforks and torches!"

"No", Twilight said.

Everyone was staring at her.

"I have a better use for him. You guys, I think we have advanced far enough for today. Why don't you put up your tents? I have... other things to take care of."

And she followed the monster into the tunnel.

* * *

><p>"Shhh", Twilight said, "It's okay..."<p>

The creature was retreating into the shadows, but Twilight managed to catch one of its tentacles between her front hooves.

She placed a kiss on the slimy surface. It made the monster shiver. She smiled. And then she slowly started to sing.

"_I was feeling done in, couldn't win_  
><em>I'd only ever kissed before."<em>

Rainbow Dash gasped and turned to Applejack.  
>"You mean she?"<br>"Mhm."

"_...I thought there's no use getting, into heavy petting_  
><em>It only leads to trouble and... seat wetting..."<em>

The monster growled in fear, but Twilight had started to wrap the tentacle around her right front hoof.

"_...Now all I want to know, is how to go_  
><em>I've tasted blood and I want more..."<em>

"More, more, more...!"  
>Rainbow Dash and Applejack were watching the scene on a monitor from a dark room, their faces lit by its spooky light, full of anticipation.<p>

"_I'll put up no resistance, I want to stay the distance_  
><em>I've got an itch to scratch, I need assistance!"<em>

Twilight leaped forward, embracing a bundle of tentacles with her legs.

"_Toucha toucha toucha touch me! I wanna be dirty_  
><em>Thrill me chill me fulfil me<em>  
><em>Creature of the night!"<em>

The monster managed to shake her off once more. But Twilight didn't give up. She chuckled.

"_Then if anything grows (hehe) while you pose_  
><em>I'll oil you up and rub you down..."<em>

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were licking their lips.  
>"Down, down, down!"<p>

"_And that's just one small fraction of the main attraction_  
><em>You need a friendly hoof and I need ACTION...!"<em>

She jumped right into the black, squirming mass, which had finally stopped resisting and started to wrap itself around her, trembling, curious, investigating her skin.

"_Toucha toucha toucha touch me, I wanna be dirty!_  
><em>Thrill me chill me fulfil me<em>  
><em>Creature of the night!"<em>

Rainbow Dash chuckled.  
>"Toucha toucha toucha touch me!", she parroted Twilight.<br>"I wanna be dirty", Applejack added with a teasing, husky voice, laying down on her back and embracing the pegasus' neck, pulling her down on her belly, away from the screen.

"Thrill me, chill me, fulfil me!", Pinkie Pie said not far away, to a lonely piece of candy she had discovered.

"Creature of the night...", Applejack gasped before Rainbow Dash was covering the earth pony's face with her wings, as if she was closing a curtain.

"_Toucha toucha toucha touch ME!"_, Twilight moaned in pleasure.  
>"<em>Oh, I wanna be DIRTY!<em>  
><em>Thrill me chill me FULFILL me<em>  
><em>Creature of the night!"<em>

"Creature of the night...", Fluttershy said, hugging a little owl.

"Creature of the night?", Spike was wondering while checking the MLP-database on a little notebook.

"_Creature of the night_", Celestia's Discord-core commented with the typical satisfaction of an amateur of... unusual romance.

"_Creature of the night_", Celestia's main core said, in a distant, monotone voice. She was rather shocked by the way her plan had evolved.

"_Creature of the night?_", the Luna core said with innocent disbelief.

"Creature of the night!", Pinkie Pie exclaimed when she discovered her candy was shaped like a little bat.

"Creature of the night!", a drunken diamond dog howled in his hillbilly-voice.

"Creature of the night...", Twilight whispered as she finally sank down into a nest of exhausted, sweaty tentacles, at peace with herself and the world.

* * *

><p><em>NOTE: The musical number is taken from the Rocky Horror Picture Show (1973). All credits go to this unique piece of art. <em>

_As for my text, the last scene and ultimately the whole short story were inspired by a pony music video put up on YouTube by QueenCynder ('My little Pony- Toucha Toucha Touch Me'._


	6. The battle for Cloudsdale Part I

Rainbow Dash was navigating through the darkness, towards that one distant source of light.

The pegasus was finally pushing through. She was like a tiny insect entering a structure the size of a stadium.

Picture a place like the inside of an abandoned cathedral, a cathedral big enough to contain an entire city. Picture columns, giant digital screens instead of windows, mysterious mechanisms protruding from every surface like some sort of alien ornaments, lit by silver emergency lights. Picture countless metal platforms, hanging high up in the air.

It was the place they used to call Cloudsdale. Rainbow Dash was home.

* * *

><p>She returned to the others to tell them about her discovery.<p>

"What did it look like?"

"Different. But it's not just because the illusions are gone. The place is deserted. Mostly dark. It's as if They had shut it down."

"So you're saying They deactivated Cloudsdale Themselves before we could even get there? Something like an orderly retreat?"

"Something like that."

"Maybe it's a trap."

"A trap of an epic scale."

"Well, we _are _rather epic..."

Twilight frowned.

"The question is, should we still go? So far it is the only way we have found that is leading out of the ruins of Ponyville. And we can't just stay here. We have not much food left, no water... oh, and we need this drug that keeps our bodies from melting like butter."

"If they have shut it down, they're expecting our arrival. So we are not likely to get anything over there."

Applejack was shaking her head.

"Spike, Twilight... what are you two even talking about?"

"We had a plan. Tell 'em, Twilight."

"I was preparing an invasion. Rarity has developed a few powerful weapon systems..."

"Twilight, dear, you should mention that these projects are all still in Beta..."

"...So were my plans. I was all still very theoretical. But now things have changed again."

* * *

><p>"Wow."<p>

"You can say that again."

"Wow."

Rainbow Dash had lead them to the dome, and this time, they all went inside together. They had told the other survivors of Ponyville to stand behind and let them do some reconnaissance first, though Twilight was pretty sure many of them, especially among the pegasi, had already split from the group to explore Cloudsdale on their own.

"I mean, Cloudsdale was already impressive when they made it look like a magical rainbow-land... But this is mind-boggling... How long does it take to build a place like this?"

Spike shrugged.  
>"Sometimes I wonder if even They themselves fully understand this facility... Much of it is handled by the computers. Sometimes entire sectors seem to appear or disappear overnight..."<p>

They had some difficulties walking on the floor deep beneath the suspended platforms, for it was covered by a metal grille. Underneath, there was absolute darkness. Pinkie Pie spat down and listened for the impact, but she didn't hear anything.

"Spooky."

"Would you please not do that? It is positively gross."

"How do we get into town? Those of us who can't fly, that is."

"We can all fly! Did you already forget about our balloon, Applejack?"

"Yeah, but where..."

Pinkie Pie was shaking her back, and the bundle she had been carrying fell to the ground. It made a loud clicking noise, and it unfolded into a large basket. The balloon cover was folded inside.

"How do we get this fella into shape?"

"No worries. I know someone who is FULL with hot air. Oh Spiiiiikey... ?"

* * *

><p>The first thing they saw after they had landed on one of the platforms was a pegasus stallion walking towards a far away structure.<p>

"A survivor! Hello! Hello there! Where are you going?"

The young colt turned around.

"I'm going into the light. That's where the others are. That's where Princess Celestia herself told us to go. I was too scared to go at first... But there is nothing left here. It's the only way."

He pointed to a dot of light, a few hundred meters away.

"Why don't you come with me?"

When they had come closer, the light turned out to be an open door. But the light coming from the other side was too bright to look inside.

Other pegasi were gathered around the door, some of them forming a line, others just standing around, undecided.

"And no one knows what happens to you when you walk through that door?"

"There are stories... They say it's salvation. The rapture. The portal to a better world."

"Don't you think... it might be a trap?"

"Who knows? But I'm going. I have no reason to stay here."

And they watched him disappear in the light.

"It's definitely a trap."

"Yep. No doubt about that."

"So what do we do?"

"We go explore the city. Investigate. And start to make plans."

"Let's go then... Pinkie? Aren't you coming?"

"No way! He said there was a RAPTOR on the other side! I wanna see him!"

"Oh Pinkie..."

* * *

><p>They arrived on an especially big, round platform somewhere near the centre of the structure.<p>

"I think this is the market place... Sure looks different without all the fluffy clouds... Say, what's this?"

Two big pegasus stallions were heading for a tiny pegasus pulling a cart. Even from this distance, their demeanor seemed all but friendly.

"Hey! leave her alone!"

But before Twilight and her friends could get any closer, a monster appeared. It dropped right out of the sky, and the impact made the platform tremble. It was an iron beast with blue, glowing eyes. In one swift movement, it grabbed the attacking colts with its giant claws and threw them away. Then there was the sound of breaking glass, somewhere in the distance.

The ponies from Ponyville started walking towards the pony girl again, but more slowly and careful this time. The monster was still standing right next to her, like a bodyguard.

"You saw what happened to the others! Don't you touch my food!"

The petite pegasus girl was of a very pale color, with black, curly hair, glasses and freckles. Her cutie mark was a chandelier.

"I can't believe it. This must be a nightmare. Is this... a YOGISH PONY?"

"Applejack!"

The little pegasus snorted.

"Stupid prejudices! ...Well, this time, by PURE COINCIDENCE, it happens to be true. So there. Don't follow me, or my friend will crush you, just like the others."

The giant metal monster jumped on the roof of a nearby building. Then it was out of sight.

"M-my threat still stands! He's still watching, you know? He's always watching!"

"We don't want to steal your food. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends... We have a few questions."

"I'm not saying anything! And I'm not curious what non-pegasi are doing all the way up here! Uh-uh! I'm not! Leave me alone, or I will send him after you!"

"Him...? What is he, anyhow?"

It was Rainbow Dash who answered that.

"His name is Sam. He's the Golem of Cloudsdale. You'd call him a robot. A Yogish unicorn pony found him a long time ago, and he changed the numbers in his head so he would protect the community whenever they were in danger."

The tiny pegasus girl gasped.

"How do you know that?"

But Rainbow Dash just said:

"You are working for Ibbar Blue Stern, aren't you? Please take us to him. We need to talk."

"The Ibbar has gathered the entire community in the temple. He said the others were stupid to walk into the light like this, that it was a trick and that the community should stay in Cloudsdale and gather provisions. He's our leader."

"I can imagine that. Please take us to him."

"He said one shouldn't trust a _wej_ in these dark hours... Not after what they've done..."

"Just bring us there. You'll see."

Twilight offered the young pegasus to have someone of their group pull the cart.

"...Applejack, for instance. She's the strongest one. Would you like to pull her cart, Applejack? To demonstrate our _friendly intentions_?"

"I'd sooner die."

"Applejack!"

"It's okay. I wouldn't have trusted a WEJ with our provisions anyway."

"Cute. Now tell me, why were these other pegasi attacking you?"

"They don't want us to have any food. The Ibbar said we must gather as much food and medicine as we can for ourselves. Otherwise they would let us starve..."

"And now you're letting THEM starve. I bet they were just trying to get some food for their fillies..."

"APPLEJACK! You're not helping. Can't you just keep it down for a while?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot. We're just _wejs_. We are not supposed to make... _remarks_."

"Seriously, you're acting weird."

"Pfff."

"We're here."

The Ponies of Ponyville gasped. The structure in front of them looked more like a fortress than a place of worship now. Armor plates and makeshift barricades had been put all around it.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

"It is Voglesinger... And some strangers. This pegasus here says she needs to talk to the Ibbar."

"He'll never talk to them! I'll count to three, and then..."

"Thanks, young Bloomtail, this won't be necessary."

A big, long bearded pony appeared on the platform above the barricade. He was dressed in black with a matching hat. The few parts of him that were visible- since not covered by cloth or beard - were of a dark blue color. His voice was deep and majestic.

"Who thinks that he is worthy of our time?"

"It's me."

Rainbow stepped forward.

"Rainbow Dash. Shame of my life."

"Hi, Dad."

Applejack's jaw dropped almost to ground level.

* * *

><p>The other ponies of Ponyville were stepping aside while Rainbow Dash and her father were having a little... discussion. For some reason, Vogelsinger stayed with them even after her food cart had been pulled inside.<p>

"I can't believe it... she never told me she was y... Fluttershy, did you know about that?"

"...Why of course, Applejack. We grew up together, remember? She just doesn't like to talk about her family. Her mother died when she was still very young, and her father... well..."

"I didn't even know the Ibbar had a daughter", Vogelsinger added.

"Even if their relationship seems to be... difficult", Twilight said, "he's still her father. Maybe we can find a way to help one another. The ponies of the temple made the choice to resist Celestia's call. But all ponies who stayed behind in Cloudsdale are faced with a very limited food supply. On the other hoof, the supplies should be sufficient to get everypony through if we're only staying here for a short time, just long enough to come up with a battle plan. Then we can all move on together."

Applejack uttered another mean laugh.  
>"Are you listening to the kvetching back there? This Ibbar isn't going to help anypony outside his precious 'community'. They don't care about finding a way out, they just want to make sure they're the last to starve."<p>

"Why do you keep saying horrible things like that?", Vogelsinger complained.

"Thanks again for your input, Applejack. I think we can let Rainbow handle this."

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash rejoined the group.<p>

"So? What did he say?"

"He said no. He doesn't want to have anything to do with our plans..."

Behind Rainbow's back, Applejack was silently moving her lips to say 'told you so'. Twilight Sparkle was trying to ignore her, while Vogelsinger was sticking out her tongue.

Rainbow snorted.  
>"He said I was free to join the ponies in the temple any time, though."<p>

"Oh Rainbow", Applejack said in the sweetest voice, "Never mind us. You can take your little friend here and go back to your little tribe. You know you want to."

Everypony was holding their breath. It was clear the blue pegasus was having an inner debate. But after a few seconds, she decided that enough was enough.

"What is WRONG with you?"

"Hey! It's not my fault you are both a PEGASUS and a YOG. I mean, what the HAY?"

"You're so full of horseapples, Applejack -**_Horseapple Jackass_**-, no wonder they start falling out your stupid throat!"

"I just work with what you're giving me."

"I... How... YOU..."

"That's enough, girls!", Twilight said, "Maybe we can all just calm down and talk about things that actually matter...?"

Now both mares were staring at her in quite a menacing way.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

Twilight was shaking her head.

"Quit horsing around. We're making a plan. Now. Listen up, everypony."

But that's where the siren started, and hell was breaking loose once again.

* * *

><p>Celestia's mechanic voice was roaring through the structure.<p>

_"TROOPERS, CLEANSE THE CITY! THIS IS THE END OF THE LINE, TWILIGHT SPARKLE, MY FAITHFUL STUDENT!"_

Their ears were ringing with sound of thousands of closing metal doors.

"They are sealing the buildings so that we can't take cover!"

"What's with the ponies trapped inside?"

Spike was just shaking his head.

"What's with the temple?"

"The pegasi must have hacked into the system. That must be the only building that's not under Their control."

Dozens of the strange, bipedal creatures came pouring from holes in the ceiling on long ropes.  
>There was the sound of shooting in the distance.<p>

"So it was a trap after all."

More and more pegasus ponies were gathering in front of the temple.  
>Rainbow Dash was pleading with the Ibbar.<p>

"You've got to let them in!"

"No, Rainbow Dash. There is not enough room. This is our fortress. We cannot allow outsiders into our midst. Steel on the outside, cohesion on the inside. This is how we will survive."

The shooting was coming closer.

"This is it", Twilight said, "Now they'll try to kill us. There is no way to run."

"So whatever shall we do?"

"I guess we'll have to fight. Follow my lead."

A group of the masked strangers came running around the corner, preparing to shoot.

Twilight Sparkle's horn was glowing, and a rifle was pulled out of the grip of a perplexed marksman. It was floating in the air, rotated into position, and then fired. The soldier's head exploded. The body sank to the ground.

Before his terrified companions could react, they received the same treatment.

The Rifle was pulled through the air until it was floating right in front of Twilight's horn. Then she just dropped it to the floor.

"Twilight...!"

"I... I think I killed them."

"Yeah, no kiddin'. That was some fancy shooting, though I reckon shootin' someone's ugly head just half a meter away... On the other hoof, the boomstick itself was far away from YOU... I'm confused."

"Twilight, dear? Is everything alright?"

"No."

Twilight was shaking. She wasn't crying yet, but that was probably because she was too tense for that right now.

"I-it's sure different when you just read about it in a book..."

"There, there..."

"These were just three. There are hundreds of them out there... And maybe I'll have to shoot them all."

She was looking at her friends, incredibly pale.

"I don't think I can do that."

"You better find out quick. Here's the next wave."

This time, the ponies had to retreat into the ally. This group seemed to have learned from the failures of the predecessors and didn't waste any time to open fire.

"I can't... Not again..."

"It's alright, dear...", Rarity said, and in the general confusion hardly anyone noticed how sad she was, "Let Rarity take it from here."

Rarity levitated the gun and sent it around the corner while she was sticking her head out. She proved at least as "talented" as Twilight.

* * *

><p>She was advancing now, while the corpses of fallen enemies piled up around her. Her hooves and her stylish mane were sprinkled in blood, but she didn't even blink.<p>

* * *

><p>After just a few minutes, the situation had calmed down.<p>

"Look!"

The corpses of the first troopers who had been shot had started to evaporate, as well as the puddles of blood.

"Do you see that? Maybe... Maybe that means they're not real... Maybe we didn't really kill anyone..."

Rarity granted Twilight a little, sad smile. If Twilight managed to believe that sort of thing, good for her. But Rarity was a murderer. She knew death when she saw it.

"You guys? You're doing great, but we won't be able to hold the city like this. Even if all our unicorn ponies do what you do. Twilight mentioned weapons earlier on... Pony weapons."

"Rarity?"

Rarity's eyes were staring into the distance. She was still levitating her gun.

"Rarity, what..."

"Oh, right..."  
>She seemed to regain conscience.<br>"The... projects I've been working on. Well then, I guess it's time to put them to the test."

She dropped the gun, which had also started dissolving, just like its former owner.

* * *

><p>While Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stayed in the city, the other ponies met up with the rest of the ponyville-ponies at the tunnel entrance.<p>

"What is going on up there? We're hearing the noises all the way down here."

"Urban warfare. I'd advise you to barricade the tunnel entry once we're gone. We have come to gather the things I asked you to carry for us, Big Macintosh."

"No problem. Is Applejack doing alright?"

"Oh, yes. Last time I checked..."

"Is there something we can do to help?"

"Our balloon can only transport a few ponies at a time, pegasi not included. obviously. And it is very dangerous. Twilight Sparkle said she would be glad about any unicorn pony capable of telekinesis, though. If we have any volunteers..."

A few unicorn ponies stepped forward. This time, though, Snips and Snails were rejected, and Sweetie Bell didn't even dare to do as much as look her older sister into the eyes.

They took as many ponies on board as they could while Rarity was levitating the equipment so that it would follow the balloon. She was gnashing her teeth, and her body was covered in sweat from the considerable exploit. She wasn't sure her brain would be able to take it much longer.  
>In the end, though, it was good they had taken so many volunteers at once, as a well-aimed shot from one of the dark troopers in the city forced them into a crash landing and made the balloon useless.<p>

* * *

><p>"Now that's what I call fancy galoshes", Applejack said.<p>

Rainbow Dash was explictely NOT looking at her.

Rarity had fitted the earth pony with the prototype of the armour she had designed for her. Applejack's body was almost completely covered in shiny metal plates, and on her back, Rarity had mounted a "saddle" with a gun turret on it. The turret was operated through "reins" Applejack would hold in her mouth. She did, in fact, look like a tank.

"Now I know it is heavy..."

"No sweat. I can handle it."

"That's what I thought."

The other ponies were equipped with suits and armor as well.

Twilight was clearing her throat.

"Alright, everypony..."

"WAIT FOR US!"

The ground was shaking as Sam, the metal golem, was storming towards their camp, with Vogelsinger in his right claw, where she was sitting like a bird in a cage. Except her demeanor was more like that of a pilot.

"Me an Sam, we want to help, too!"

"Thanks, Vogelsinger. We're glad to have you on board."

Applejack wanted to say something too, but Rainbow Dash gave her a glance so devastating that for once, she kept her mouth shut.

"Now then... Battleplan."


	7. The battle for Cloudsdale Part II

Princess Celestia- or rather the android core she had projected herself into for the time being- was observing the battle down in Cloudsdale through the countless cameras installed into her drones and the helmets of the laboratory troopers.

"_That's right, Twilight, my faithful student... **dance** for me."_

She had to admit that Twilight Sparkle was displaying a certain talent for strategic warfare. Of course Celestia knew where most of the formations came from- the little unicorn pony did everything by the books.

So far, Celestia was merely watching, while illegally downloading a song about bananas from the internet - the android equivalent of drinking a milkshake. She was eager to see how far Twilight would get. The young pony and her friends were advancing through the city, though it was clear the numbers were against her in the long run.

_Download complete._

* * *

><p>"Twilight? What..."<p>

That's when Pinkie Pie saw it. A tiny bullet, floating in the air just in front of her forehead.

"Wow, thanks, Twilight! You just saved my bacon!"

Twilight was pale, frozen in place.  
>"That was LUCK! You should have been dead by now! We need to take cover... NOW!"<p>

Twilight was screaming, trying to get the other ponies' attention over the hellish din of the battle.

"They have SNIPERS! We need to evacuate the square! RETREAT! I say RETREAT!"

Applejack was turning her head to see what the commotion was all about. That was the only reason the next sniper bullet hit her metal shoulder plate instead of her right eyeball.

* * *

><p>"We're trapped! What can we do now?"<p>

"I have an idea! Help me out here!"

Twilight started pulling screws and metal pipes out of the structures around her.

"I don't think you can dig your way inside like this fast enough, Twilight..."

"We need the scrap parts! Applejack, try to buy us some time while we collect the metal!"

"Here is an idea", Rainbow Dash said, "Why don't we use Applejack herself, in her shiny armour?"

"NOT NOW, Rainbow."

"Okay. Later, then."

The unicorns were fusing the parts together with telekinesis. The result was a sphere, resembling a metal sea urchin.

"Rarity. You levitate, I rotate, you translate, I release when you give me the signal."

"Got it."

Twilight was gnashing her teeth as she made the sphere rotate at a mind-boggling speed. Rarity  
>transported the sphere right to the middle of the square. It happened too fast for the troopers to react.<p>

"HIT IT! HIT IT NOW!"

And Twilight made the sphere explode. It was raining blood, screws and body parts.

* * *

><p>"We still have to get rid of the snipers in the area. Rainbow, I want you to locate their positions..."<p>

"...And DESTROY them? On it!"

"No. You are fast enough to prevent them from targeting you, but if you were to face them head on, your advantage would drop to zero. Right now, I need you to gather intelligence."

"I'm not sure about that, Twilight", Applejack objected, "Rainbow and 'intelligence'... That's not her strong side."

"WANNA SEE MY STRONG SIDE?"

"Actually, yes. Would be a nice change from your cheating and your Yogish side. I mean: from your Yogish side."

"I... I don't have time for this."

"That's right, Rainbow... fly off... fly like a godly wind..."

Rainbow made an impolite noise with her tongue.

* * *

><p>A pink pony with a cotton candy -shaped mane appeared on the square. She was obviously trying to be sneaky, but the snipers had no problem targeting her vital organs.<br>In the same time, a blue pegasus was darting through the air, though there was no obvious system in the creature's maneuvers, other than to make targeting impossible. That was inconvenient, but the snipers had no choice but to sit this one out and wait for reinforcements equipped with more adequate weapons- such as heat-seaking rocket launchers.

_Chock._

The first bullet hit the pavement. The pink pony looked startled, but perfectly unharmed. One sniper after the other was opening fire, but even though they applied all of their skill, no bullet hit the target. Or rather, it was as if the bullets went right through the pony.

Only after several other attempts did the snipers notice the strange texture of the pony, the way parts of her body looked semi-transparent. And then she vanished completely.

* * *

><p>"I didn't know you were capable of producing holograms, Rarity."<p>

"It is the first time I tried. I couldn't have done it without you, Twilight. And Pinkie Pie, of course."

"Pinkie Pie, the new rising star in holo-TV!"

"Rainbow?"

"Seven. There are seven of them. Chalk? Thank you."

She was drawing a rough map of the area on the pavement.

* * *

><p>Applejack gulped.<p>

The second she stepped outside the alley, a terrible dance had begun.  
>Towering behind her was Sam the golem, shielding her with his broad, metal back and arms, a valuable asset but not a guarantee for her survival. She would only survive if she was fast without missing her targets.<p>

Back to back, they were spinning around in the middle of the square.  
>Applejack discovered the first embrasure. Time seemed to stretch as she aimed at the muzzle of the sniper's rifle the very moment he was aiming at her. She was now in position, and she pulled the trigger of the gun turret on her back. The next fraction of a second would tell whether the sniper had pulled the trigger of his weapon faster.<p>

He had. It didn't do him any good, though, because he had somehow missed Applejack's forehead, only managing to put a tiny hole in the cartilage of her left ear.  
>The earth pony didn't even notice, not more than she noticed the demise of her first opponent. She had already forgotten about him as she repeated the same procedure with the second sniper, and the third. Round and round they went, without ever slowing down, the iron feet of the golem and the hoofs of the pony beating the platform like a hellish clockwork.<p>

The bullet of the sixth sniper hit the helmet Rarity had made for her at an angle that didn't allow it to cause any damage. Applejack, on the other hoof, hadn't missed a single shot, and she didn't miss this one either.

Sniper number seven.

Applejack expected to see another embrasure. And she almost saw it, a hallucination caused by the experiences she had gathered during the last few seconds and the crude map Rainbow Dash had drawn.  
>But there really was none. The seventh sniper was not where he was supposed to be.<br>So he was somewhere else. Somewhere else, aiming at her right now.

_Rainbow_, Applejack thought, _She did this on purpose. With the last sniper, I'm on my own. Why would she do this to me? Oh, who am I kidding. As if I didn't know._

Applejack prepared to die.

* * *

><p>"THERE WERE ONLY SIX SNIPERS! I soiled myself while I was looking out for the last one! You LIED to us, <em>Dash<em>!"

Rainbow was hovering over the rest of the group, displaying a bored expression, pretending to be cleaning her front hoofs.

"Oops. I must have miscounted."

"MISCOUNTED! Is this some kind of a joke?"

"Oh, I dunno. Was tossing me into a meat grinder a joke to you?"

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!"

"That's what you _said_, not what you _were_. NOW you're sorry."

Twilight Sparkle and the others were just looking at another, shaking their heads. They had long given up on any attempts at mediation.

In the meantime, Vogelsinger was talking to the golem, petting his giant metal claw.

"Vogelsinger, how is Sam doing?"

The golem turned around, and Twilight saw that he was missing one eye. It was now merely an empty metal eye socket with pieces of glass in it.

"No worries", Vogelsinger said, "I have a spare in my bag."

She flapped her wings to get on the same level as his face and started the operation. Considering that she had neither magic nor thumbs, her speed and dexterity were mind-boggling.

"There. All done. Good as new."

"It's not the first time you do that, right?"

"I do most of the maintenance. That's why he's hanging out with me all the time! Ever since I was very little."

* * *

><p>"Alright everypony", Twilight said, "There is more of them every minute. But we can all see where they're coming from. This means that somewhere up there, there is a way leading out of this place. We will not be able to survive by simply holding our position, so we have to find a way to either stop the flow of reinforcements or leave this city altogether. Rainbow, I want you and the other pegasi to investigate the ceiling, while the rest of us will cover you. I guess I don't have to tell you that you need to be careful. Most of all, don't just try to push through all by yourself. For all we know, there is a hostile fortress up there."<p>

* * *

><p>A pink flash, followed by pain. That was the very last thing many of the troopers experienced in their lives as they were gliding through the city on the sky lines, a complex network of metal pipes that connected the platforms and the ceiling like a giant roller coaster.<p>

Pinky Pie loved the sky lines. It was as if they were made just for her. Up and down she went, hanging on to the little metal hook Rarity had made for her, sometimes jumping off and falling until she would manage to grab another pipe. She was able to accumulate considerable momentum this way. Her enthusiastic hollering filled the hearts of her enemies with terror.

Whenever she would encounter troopers on her way, she would either kick them off or use the skullbreaker, one of the experimental weapons she had developed together with Rarity. Skullbreakers were tiny bullets which would increase rapidly in volume and mass once "activated" by Pinkie's saliva and exposed to oxygen. In practice, that meant that Pinkie's  
>spitballs would turn into bowling balls by the time they hit their target.<p>

It was when Twilight Sparkle watched one of Pinkie Pie's victims fall into the abyss, kicking and screaming, that the purple unicorn truly started to understand what they were doing here. But there was no turning back.

Finally, Pinkie got close enough to the ceiling to try something out. She casually threw a shrunken skullbreaker into her mouth, aimed and spat it right into one of the openings. Instead of passing through, however, it bounced off, as if it had hit a solid surface. As it reached its full size by falling down, it hit several unsuspecting laboratory troopers.

"Oops. Sorry! This one wasn't even on purpose! Oh... Oh... Ohhhhhh..."

Since the skylines were fueled mostly by gravity, it was only momentum which kept Pinkie Pie at this height. Now she was moving backwards and downwards at an impressive speed.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash got the occasion to try out her new weapon system as well. Since any kind of projectile weapon would have slowed her down, Rarity had instead equipped her suit with long-range tasers that she could fire off by clapping her front or her hind hoofs together.

Another screaming, roasted enemy was knocked off the sky line and falling into the abyss.  
>"Now that's what I call a <em>wonderbolt<em>... sucker!"

* * *

><p>"NO, Rainbow Dash! Don't go in there!"<p>

"Sorry, Twilight", Rainbow Dash whispered, "I can't hear you all the way up here."

She shocked the next trooper who dropped out of the hole, and then she dashed in.

Darkness and lightnings. When Rainbow opened her eyes again, she was falling. Her head hurt so very much.  
>It took her a few seconds to fully regain consciousness, and even then it was only thanks to her instincts that she managed to turn around and spread her wings before she hit the floor. Otherwise she would have suffered severe injuries- not that she didn't already hurt enough as it was.<p>

"Rainbow? Are you okay?"

It was Applejack. So the pegasus wasn't on the other side. She was back where she had started. It was good to see Applejack, though... To hear her voice, once again soothing and caring...

"Girl, you plummeted out of the sky like a rotten apple. What happened? Missed the hole? You know, speed can be a disadvantage if you lack precision..."

So much about Applejack having returned to her old, non-jackass self.  
>Rainbow groaned and got back on her feet. Without paying any more attention to the armored earth pony, she took off once again, though her flight wasn't quite as steady as before.<p>

This time, she decided to investigate the opening before trying to push through.  
>The troopers dropped out of these things quite smoothly, and you could see some sort of tunnel on the other side. But there was something off about these openings.<br>For one thing, it was impossible to determine their exact edges. Between the metal of the ceiling and the gaping hole, there was a narrow, blurry fringe that was glowing and rapidly changing colors.  
>Rainbow tried to push her front hooves into the opening. It didn't work. It was as if she was pushing against a glass plate.<p>

Furious, she patrolled the sky, trying to cover as many entries as possible in order to roast a portion of the incoming troopers before they could even reach the city.  
>Finally, she gave up and returned to the ground. She had to talk to Twilight Sparkle.<p>

* * *

><p>Carried by two pegasus stallions, and covered from enemy attacks by Rainbow, Twilight used her powers to seal one portal after the other. It would have been preferable to reprogram them so that ponies could pass through, but they didn't have the time to study the inner workings of this technology.<p>

Twilight simply disturbed the subtle order that was keeping these energy fields together, and they evaporated instantly. Some unfortunate troopers were cut in half in the process, with their legs and lower bodies raining down over the city.  
>Other pegasi would then remove the white plates onto which the portals had been projected, so that Celestia wouldn't be able to activate them once again. Twilight decided to retain these plates for further studies.<p>

The troopers remaining in the city were either hunted down or surrendered. Those who were captured alive obviously had some questions to answer, but it turned out they had only been breed for "following orders" and knew otherwise very little - about anything.

The fact remained that there was no obvious way leading out of Cloudsdale. The ponies faced the very real possibility that the portals had been the only thing connecting this sector to the outside world.

But for now, the survivors decided to rest. Unable to penetrate most of the structures, they built a primitive camp on the streets of the city. The ponies from the temple didn't issue any official reaction to the recent events, but quite a few of them decided to sneak off and share food and medicine with the ponies outside.

* * *

><p>And then, of course, there was one more thing that had to be taken care of.<p>

"Hey, Rainbow..."

Rainbow Dash snorted and didn't even turn her head.  
>"Wattsup."<p>

"I wanted to say I'm sorry. It was mean of me to call you a 'yog'. No one deserves to be insulted in such a way..."

"WHAT? THAT'S your apology? Why, you..."

"There we go again with the kvetching..."

"Oi weh..."

Rainbow Dash brought her front hooves to her mouth.

"See that? I'm starting to speak Yiggish! You're driving me CRAZY!"

"Oh no, _Rainboi Weh_, I have nothing to do with this. That's all you."

For a few moments, Rainbow Dash was paralyzed with anger. Finally, she said:  
>"What happened to you, Applejack? You used to be so kind once..."<br>_Especially to me_, she thought.

Applejack looked down.

"It's because you lost the Apple Farm, isn't it?"

"Back when I still had my land, I could afford kindness. I used to be faithful and strong back then. Now that it's gone, I... Without my roots, I don't know where my strength is supposed to come from.'"

Rainbow Dash wanted to say something else, but as hard as she tried, she didn't find anything in her heart. At least nothing she would have been able to wrap in words anypony could understand.  
>So she just flapped her wings and took off, leaving the workhorse behind.<p>

* * *

><p>Applejack watched Rainbow fly away and creep under a blanket near one of the makeshift ovens that were spread all over the camp to keep the survivors warm. Finally, without even turning around, she said:<p>

"Pinkie Pie? Could you find me a banjo?"

"No problemo Applelemo!"

Later, they would hear Applejack play a song, and even though they kept a certain distance to offer Rainbow Dash and the earth pony some privacy, they couldn't help but overhear some of it.

It made Spike blow his nose with Twilight's tail.

* * *

><p>(And here is the song: 'Old College Try' by the Mountain Goats, Applejack-and-Banjo version)<p>

"_From the housetops to the gutters_  
><em>From the outside to the core<em>  
><em>The warning signs have all been bright and garish<em>  
><em>Far too great in number to ignore<em>

_From the cities to the swamplands_  
><em>From the train tracks to the hills<em>  
><em>Our love has never had a leg to stand on<em>  
><em>From the plasmids to the rodeos to the  elevils_  
><em>But I will walk  down to the end / with you_  
><em>If you will fly  all the way down / with me_

_From the entrance to the exit_  
><em>Is longer than it looks from where we stand<em>  
><em>I want to say I'm sorry  for stuff I haven't done yet_  
><em>Things will never go the way we planned<em>  
><em>I can feel it in the rotten air tonight<em>  
><em>In the tips of my hoofs<em>  
><em>In the skin on my face<em>  
><em>In the weak last gasp of this oven's dying light<em>  
><em>In the way those eyes I've always loved  illuminate this place_  
><em>Like a trashcan fire  in a prison cell_  
><em>Like the searchlights  in the parking lots of hell_  
><em>I will walk  down to the end / with you_  
><em>If you will come  all the way down / with me."_

* * *

><p>"Say you're sorry for stuff you've already done."<p>

"I am very sorry. I mean it. Whether you're willing to forgive me or not."

"That wasn't so difficult, now was it. Sheesh."


	8. The basement

Johan Laichen was displaying the biggest, most honest smile in his repertoire. And this time, he hardly even had to fake it.

While he was talking, he was operating a little slide-projector to illustrate his claims. It were the days before PowerPoint.

"Gentlemen, I'm glad to tell you that the findings of our research department are exceeding all our expectations. As small as our progress may seem after nearly a decade of research, we understand that there is tremendous potential..."

One of the gentlemen at the other side of the table was taking a look into a stack of notes in front of him.  
>"I take it you are referring to your research on the... hybrid lifeforms discovered on ()island?"<p>

"This is correct. Sure, the technology the late Dr. Hufschmied had at his disposal in the 1940ies may seem primitive to us, but his accomplishments are astounding. Even today, we have to admire his bio-engineering skills. The important part is, _we can build on them_. We can go much further than he has ever been. The means are there, all that's left is the funding."

The man with the glasses was clearing his throat.

" was known as a reckless Nazi scientist..."

"I understand your concerns, Sir, but I'd like to remind you that Werner von Braun wasn't exactly an Alsatian resistant or Jewish emigrant either..."

"There are other concerns in regard to these creatures, Mr. Laichen. I understand no other than world-famous biologist Dr. L. Faust used to be head of your research department..."

"In all due respect... We were only loosely affiliated."

"No one has spend as much time studying these lifeforms as her. She is an icon, Mr. Laichen. The scientific community as well as the broader public consider her to be the one authority in these matters. Remind me why she decided to terminate her relationship with our corporation."

"Sir. Dr. Faust has stated that our respective methods of research were not... compatible."

"That's putting it mildly. We can be glad has decided to keep the media out of this- for now. Do you have any idea, Mr. Laichen, what it would do to the public perception of our corporation if Dr. Faust were to discover that we not only continue our research, but move it to the next level?"

"Sir. I understand there have been... similar situations in the past. Research can be conducted in discrete facilities, people can be... persuaded to remain silent."

"That does not go for Dr. Faust. You should know this better than anyone else."

Laichen was starting to sweat. It wasn't supposed to be like this! Did they even grasp what he was talking about?

"Gentlemen, do you even realize what we are talking about here? Organ transplants on an industrial scale! Drugs that could cure AIDS, and even cancer! We could do ANYTHING with these things! Limitless research that..."

"Thank you, Mr. Laichen. This is quite enough for today."

* * *

><p>So it was over. The project was canceled, after all these years. 'Aborted'- that's what they had actually said. How fitting.<p>

Not that Dr. Josh Freeman minded that much. He had been taking work home for quite some time now. Because he knew he could go faster than the rest of the department.

Of course he couldn't have done it without his friend Walter.  
>The great thing about Walter was that he wasn't even interested in questions which could not be answered by the construction and operation of complex technology. 'How', not 'why', that was his domain. So he had not asked why Josh needed this old breeding chamber installed in his basement. Nor did he wonder about the use of rest of the exotic machinery.<p>

And this was why, well secluded from the rest of the world, the project lived on in Dr. Freeman's basement. It was smaller and yet a lot bigger than anything ever tried at the laboratory. And he would be able to overcome difficulties they had not even been allowed to challenge.

Dr. Freeman did not just analyze Hufschmied's pitiful hybrid creatures, or cultivate cells. Instead, based on the mad scientist's procedures, enhanced by his own research, was on the verge of building his own lifeform from scratch. Just one. Better, stronger, smarter, more alien than anything Hufschmied had produced. Just to prove that it was possible. Just so that it would be _there_.

Dr. Freeman was a grown man, of greater academic achievement than most of his peers, but working on his project, he was thrilled like a teenager doing the one big thing his parents have always warned him about.  
>He agreed that what he did should not be done. He knew about the philosophical debates, hay, he himself had already written papers on why doing something like this was wrong.<br>But that was besides the point. No matter how wrong it was, he would DO it. Let the world handle the results. He wasn't making any excuses, he was willing to go to jail for his actions, should he be caught. At least, that was his state of mind back then.

Because there was only one thing that mattered: that somewhere, sometime, someone would create life, no matter what the laws said. And intended to take that role. One could never have enough life.

* * *

><p>It was truly beautiful. Safe and snug inside the artificial uterus, the embryo was growing at a handsome pace.<p>

Josh had no idea what the result would look like. Of course he knew what it was supposed to be, but he had learned a long time ago that genetics were full of surprises.

Of course the question was not only _what_ it would be, but _who _it would be. He had spliced enough human DNA into it to make that question relevant.

He was caressing the glass sides of the breeding chamber. He would take care of it. He wouldn't allow anything to hurt it. That was the least he owed to this little fella.  
>Its existence would be hard, lonely, perhaps very short. Life wasn't easy. Life wasn't nice. Creating life was exposing a new being to a hostile world. As the first of its kind, it would be doomed to live as a freak, secluded from the rest of the world or hunted down and tortured.<br>But no one had ever said that creating life was nice, either.

Glancing over his creation once again, Josh had another thought.  
><em>Love isn't nice, either.<em>

* * *

><p>Three of Dr. Freeman's creations died in utero or shortly after extraction. Still, he always thought of it as the <em>one <em>creature. Every failed attempt was just an incarnation that didn't last long enough.

Meanwhile, the world was changing. The internet exploded into existence, artificial intelligence was advancing exponentially.  
>There were rumours that the Chinese had their own large-scale, government-funded genetic research.<br>Freeman's employer was bought by a larger pharmaceutical conglomerate.  
>Dr. Faust, the world-famous biologist who had first studied Hufschmied's mutants, met her demise in a freak accident involving a green monkey.<p>

And then the fourth creature was born. It would live. For a while. Life is always alive for a while.

Dr. Freeman called it Silvia, after his long-lost wife.

* * *

><p>"<em>P-O-N-Y, not P-W-N-Y. You're doing it wrong."<em>

Josh sighted. He had been amazed by this artificial intelligence Walter had installed for him. It's name was 'Princess'. Silvia could play with it, learn with it, and most importantly, it would keep her company while he had to go outside. Still, sometimes he was wondering if he liked that computer's "personality".

Silvia made an impolite noise with her tongue, then she tried again. Spelling was fun, but it didn't always work.

She- or "it", arguably, for Silvia had no reproductive organs - could not talk. Not like most people, anyhow. Sign language and spelling, however, were things she could learn. Also, by now Josh was able to understand the different sounds she produced- the hungry-sound, the fear-sound, the rainbow-sound. Yes, she even had a rainbow-sound. Not that she had ever seen a real-life rainbow. She had never left the basement.

That had been another challenge. Silvia could not be allowed to go outside. So Josh had redecorated the laboratory under his house. The walls now had large paintings on it, of wide, green landscapes, smiling suns and butterflies- and rainbows, of course. Silvia had lots of different toys. The funny thing was, even though she was not a biological female, she preferred playing with dolls. He couldn't remember pushing her into that direction, but maybe things like that were more subtle than he could grasp.  
>He wasn't sure about giving Silvia a TV- one day she would realize the shows were set in an outside world that she would not be allowed to visit- not before it had changed, anyhow.<p>

* * *

><p>Something was different today.<p>

When daddy went away, he always had to push a big, red button first. Then the wall would go "Psssssssssscht", and there would be a door. Then daddy would hide the button.  
>But today the button was still visible, the clack supposed to conceal it was still up. Daddy had been in a hurry.<p>

"_Oh no. I wouldn't do that if I were you."_

Silvia chuckled. The stupid computer could not move. If she didn't listen, then it couldn't hold her back. She pushed the button. And sure enough, the magic happened.

"_No, really. You are NOT supposed to go in there. Don't do it. DON'T. Daddy is going to be mad at you."_

Silvia hesitated. That was true. She didn't want to make daddy mad.  
>Then again, she would just have to explain it to him. They would be together, and maybe he would be happy. He had to be lonely in there.<p>

"_You are going in, aren't you... I can't stress this enough: it's VERBOTEN."_

Silvia pretended she didn't hear that. Pretending was easy.

"_Oh, my"_, Princess said.

* * *

><p>The light. That was the first thing. Everything was so very <em>bright<em>.  
>This didn't look like her playground at all. It was cold, with a lot of strange and mysterious things... and it was big.<p>

Silvia had never been this excited before. She was an explorer.  
>What was this place, filled with so many wonders?<p>

WAAAH!

Silvia shrieked. There was someone standing in front of her. Someone she had never seen before. This person was standing on two legs just like daddy, but it was smaller and not chocolate-colored.

And then the person started screaming, dropping the cleaning utensils she was holding, and ran away.  
>Silvia felt bad about that. She didn't want to scare the person. Also, what a mess. There was blue sticky water on the floor. Daddy would be mad. She decided to follow the pink twolegs and set things right.<p>

Silvia was very serious about this, but she had to admit that the chase was fun. She had been running a lot down in the basement, but there was so much more space up here!

And then she was out in the green.  
>Not just like the paintings in her playground- real green.<br>She was amazed and stopped right where she was. She had to deal with this flood of sensations before she could move on.

The sun was shining on her coat. There were much more noises than before.

It was a beautiful morning in a regular, idyllic suburb, without much traffic, and most people being either on their way to work or to school. But still, there were neighbors who saw Silvia. More than enough.

* * *

><p>Freeman was buying groceries when he saw his housekeeper running down the street. He dropped everything and darted home, knowing all too well that it was too late.<p>

"Da!", Silvia barked when she wrapped her arms - or front legs - around him. He hugged her back, shaking.

Silvia was heavy now, but he lifted her up and carried her. They had to leave, and fast.

But when they arrived at their house, a welcoming committee awaited them.

* * *

><p>It was a shareholder meeting. A meeting of the <em>real <em>shareholders, one people like Mr. Johan Laichen would never be invited to.

They had seen that there would be trouble. Now that there had been trouble, and as the dust was settling, they realized that there would be profits.

"They call it "the four-legged horror"."  
>The men put down the tabloid he had been reading, the top story being 'Freeman- the black Frankenstein'.<br>"I guess it sums up overall public perception pretty nicely. This company has no future."

"Luckily, it isn't our only one."

"Luckily, indeed. Ladies and Gentlemen, in the coming hours, we will have to decide where research will have to take place from now on, and which company will be marketing the products. I believe everyone here understands that we have to conceal all links between our new project and this... incident."

"One large company will crumble in shame, but at another corner of the world, a new one will rise- and harvest the benefits."

"Research will have to be moved underground. Even as we speak, my subordinates are preparing construction plans for the laboratories. This will be big, ladies and gentlemen."

Mr. Johan Laichen would have said something like "told you so!", but again, he wasn't invited to the meeting. He could not have attended it anyway. Some people were more predisposed to freak accidents than others.

"What is to become of Dr. Freeman?"

The other shareholders were looking at each other, shaking their heads. This guy was new here.

"While we appreciate Freeman's ground-breaking research, it is clear that we have to distance ourselves from him in every possible way. We were able to recover all of his protocols, as well as his equipment and the creature itself- already euthanized, of course. This should be enough to reproduce his results."

"Let me ask this... While our abilities to conceal this kind of research are far superior to anything Freeman had, we still face a similar problem. How will we be able to contain these creatures? That is, of course, should we intend to create beings of similar intelligence, and I understand that is exactly our intention."

"My staff is already working on that. Freeman had decided to create a soothing and distracting environment for his creation, but again, his means, as well as his security measures, were limited. We believe that this method can be pushed a little further."


	9. The yellow mare

Fluttershy was checking the trooper's bandage, humming a song that had always cheered her up as a foal.

"...It looks good. I'm sure you will be able to walk again really soon."

Flicks of pink, sweet-smelling hair were sweeping over the bipedal creature's body while the pony was tending to it. What appeared to be a black, rubber suit was actually its skin, and though it was not very sensitive, the way Fluttershy was touching it was... nice. As for the humming- it was like balsam for the brain. The trooper had not been bred to feel any kind of arousal and lacked sophisticated emotions as well as genitalia. It was all the more confused by the feelings the yellow pegasus caused to grow inside it.

"Th... thank you."

"...Oh no", Fluttershy said, "There is no need to thank me. Someone just had to take care of you. Besides, it was Rarity who sewed your leg back on."

"You told her to do it."

"...True, the others weren't sure at first what to do with you guys... But there is no point in letting you suffer, now is there?"

"We tried to... destroy you."

"...Oh shush. You didn't know any better. A lot of bad things happened. We all should be glad no one else got hurt..."

Thinking was hard if you were a bioconstruct created for just one purpose. Still, there was one thing the trooper could not ignore: The ponies had killed many of its kind, most of the invasion forces, in fact- but now that the fight was over, they let them live. The opposite would not have been true. The troopers would have killed all the ponies without thinking twice. Including this yellow one.

The troopers were not supposed to question orders. But this yellow pegasus was confusing. She was causing... nice feelings, for no reason, and the troopers had caused pain, for no reason other than an order issued by a voice in the sky. The trooper wasn't able to think in terms of good and evil, but deep down, it felt an overwhelming feeling of betrayal. The troopers had been fighting on the wrong side.

"...You must be hungry, you poor thing. Luckily, we put all our food together, and there should be enough to share. For now..."

"Food?"

"...Sure. Here, you... Hm, say, how do you even eat?"

She was examining the helmet which covered the creature's head.  
>"...Can't you take that off?"<p>

The monster had never thought of that. It reached up and tried to pull the helmet off. Then it tried to turn it. No chance. It was attached.

"...That's strange. There must be _some_way you can eat..."

Now Fluttershy was taking a look herself. She was searching for a mouth, any kind of opening...

"...Aha. These are small, but maybe if we try it with milk..."

"Don't put things in there. They are for breathing. Miss Fluttershy...?"

"...Yes, dear?"

"What is 'eating'?"

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash turned around. Fluttershy had just burst into the tent where they were holding their meeting. She was crying and shaking all over.<p>

_Poor Fluttershy,_ Rainbow thought, _it was only a question of time 'till she would crack_...

Rarity was putting her front legs around the yellow pegasus and caressing her pink mane.

"There, there... What is the matter, darling?"

Rainbow was shaking her head. What WASN'T the matter?

"...T-they... Oh, it is so h-horrible..."  
>It was the next thing she said that caused the other ponies to frown.<p>

"Come again? You're upset because these creeps..."

"They can't even eat! Or drink! These _big meanies_... T-they put them into this world and didn't even give them s-_stomachs_... They will all die, and there is nothing we can do!"

Twilight gulped. She had to admit, the thought that Celestia had created one-way soldiers who were only supposed to last for one or two battles was rather unnerving. The images of how slain troopers would dissolve into thin air flashed before her inner eye.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, didn't seem to care about the moral implications.

"WHAT? We are trapped in a living nightmare, and you are crying for the MONSTERS who were trying to MURDER us? I'm glad they will starve! One thing less to worry about. More food for us."

Fluttershy was so shocked her crying came to an abrupt end.  
>"...You can't be serious!"<p>

"YOU can't be serious! I'm the first to promote loyalty, but not with every random monstrosity!"

Fluttershy was pale. She was shaking her head.  
>"...We are random monstrosities too, Rainbow. Don't you ever forget that."<p>

And then she stormed out of the tent before the others would see her cry again.

Rainbow Dash realized someone was staring at her. She turned around.

"Rainbow", Applejack said, "You better go after her and apologize."

"Me? But..."

"Now, sugar cube."

* * *

><p>She found Fluttershy outside the ponies' camp, in the alley of Cloudsdale where they were keeping the troopers. It was guarded by two heavily armed stallions. The ponies may have spared the surviving invaders, but they still felt they had no reason to trust them.<p>

Spike was with her.

"...You say you have been using syringes all the time."

"Sure, Fluttershy. But feeding someone directly through the bloodstream? That's a little more complicated. It would work with sugar, I suppose, but we don't know how to prepare a solution... not to mention the other stuff the body needs. If we were able to find a laboratory with the machines still intact... But these guys don't look so good. I don't think they will last that much longer anyway."

Rainbow Dash was clearing her throat.

"Hey Fluttershy. Spike."

"...Oh Hello, Rainbow."

"Listen, about the stuff I said earlier..."

"...It's okay. I know things are difficult right now."

The blue Pegasus put a frontleg on the other pony's shoulder.

"Still, I'm sorry I have upset you. I just want you to know... If I can help in any way, I will."

Fluttershy smiled.  
>"...I know that. Thank you, Rainbow."<p> 


	10. dungeon dogs

Fluttershy wasn't all that fond of conflicts. But she tended to be very protective of her friends- and vice versa.  
>Which, one could argue, made her surprisingly lethal. Because Fluttershy made a lot of friends.<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight was examining the gem.<p>

"One of your animal friends found this?"

Fluttershy nodded.  
>"...Jasper had been gone for a few days. I was starting to get worried. Then he showed up with this. I think he is trying to tell us something."<p>

"What do you think, Spike?"

_I think it looks delicious_, Spike thought, _but I guess this isn't especially helpful. Besides, one gem would already be one too many_.  
>"Gems are a special drug made for creatures who can be controlled with them, they're actually quite common throughout the facility..."<p>

"...I don't think he found this one in Cloudsdale."

Twilight's face lit up.

"So he can lead us to an other area! This is not a dead end!"

"But why a gem, of all things?"

"Guess we'll find out if we follow him. Fluttershy, can you ask him to show us the way?"

"...I'm sure Jasper would love to help."

* * *

><p>The ponies were staring down the giant well under Cloudsdale.<p>

"...Uhhh... Down there? Are you sure, Jasper?"

The little animal nodded.

"...Jasper has been climbing along the wall. I don't know how far down one would have to fly..."

"No problem", Rainbow Dash said, "He can lead the way, and I'll follow. Then I'll come back to tell you guys what we have found."

Jasper was fitted with a little lamp so that Rainbow Dash wouldn't lose him in the darkness. Rarity saw the blue pegasus' expression and quickly put together a lamp helmet for her as well.

Before Rainbow could follow him, Applejack hugged her tight.  
>"Promise me to be careful, Rainbow."<br>The blue pegasus blushed.  
>"Gosh, Applejack. You know me. I'll be fine."<p>

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash was descending into the darkness, slowly, her eyes on the little moving light on the wall.<p>

She was in a vertical position, her hind legs dangling over the abyss.

_I am not scared_, she told herself, _I am just on my hoofs. Or wings._

This feeling of vastness... Your mind was filling it with all kinds of horrors, but for some reason, the thought that there was nothing but emptiness was just as scary as any monster. _The void has eyes..._

Rainbow Dash shivered. Great. So now she was scaring herself. Part of her considered giving up and begging other pegasi to come with her. But since she was the guardian of the element of loyalty, this motion was rejected almost instantly.

* * *

><p>After what felt like an eternity, Rainbow thought she heard water, and still a bit later, she was positive about it.<p>

She now discovered countless pipes protruding into the abyss, some of them vomiting wastewater.

The air had become even colder, and the humidity was rising exponentially.  
>Rainbow gasped. She didn't dare to descend much further, and her helmet lamp wasn't strong enough to give her the full picture from up there, but Rainbow knew enough. The giant well ended right on top of an underground river. And not a very tame and cozy one, it would seem.<p>

_That makes sense_, she thought, _sort of.__ They were using this as a natural sewer system. All the... stuff falling down from Cloudsdale or flushed in from the other towns would end up here. And I bet further up the river, they have a point where fresh water is pumped into the facility... But where did that little critter..._

That's when she realized she hadn't been paying attention to Jasper anymore. For a brief moment of panic, Rainbow thought she had lost the tiny light, but there he was, on some sort of platform carved into the stone of the wall. And there was a door.

"Great job, Jasper!"

* * *

><p>After Rainbow Dash had returned to Cloudsdale, the six fillies and their dragon companion prepared the second expedition. Twilight Sparkle had developed a spell that would allow them temporarily to walk on a vertical surface, but everypony agreed there was no use putting all eggs in just one basket, especially if the hundreds of other ponies were supposed to follow them later on. So they decided to put the tools Rarity and Pinkie Pie had created to the test, including a prototype elevator powered by unicorn magic or, alternatively, earth pony muscle. They could have started sooner, but Rarity had insisted on changing the design of the miner's helmets last minute. With the battle for Cloudsdale still on everypony's mind, no one thought crossing Rarity was a good idea. Speaking of good ideas...<p>

"Fluttershy... do you think this is a good...?"

"...They insist on coming with us. I don't think they will be much of a burden."

All of the surviving dark troopers fit enough to move had gathered at the well and were preparing what seemed to be their own climber's equipment. The ponies still wouldn't allow them to carry their knifes and firearms, however.

"Sure, but they said themselves they don't know much more about this place than we do... And besides..."

"...They won't try to hurt us again. I just know it. Please, Twilight. They just want to help."

Twilight Sparkle still wasn't sure about this. It was good to have allies, but these creatures...

"...Please Twilight, trust me."

That, of course, sold the deal.

* * *

><p>On the other side of the door near the bottom of the well, there was a cave. Some of it might have been natural, part of an ancient cave system linked to the subterranean river, but most of it was clearly carved into the bedrock artificially.<p>

Fluttershy shrieked.

Twilight turned around just in time to see a hissing beast leap out of the shadows, slashing at the yellow pegasus with its claws.  
>Before the attacker could inflict even more damage, one of the dark troopers jumped him, and together with three of its fellow monsters, managed to keep him down.<br>The trooper on the creature's belly was lifting up its arm, a sharp piece of rock in its hand, ready for the final strike.

"NO!"

The trooper's hand stopped mid-air. Fluttershy got back on her hooves, while Rarity dashed forward to see to her wound.  
>"... Please don't hurt him..."<p>

Twilight thought that it would have been interesting to see the trooper's expression, but of course the helmet covered its face completely and permanently. What was clear though was that the humanoid was trembling- in what Twilight assumed to be pure rage.

"Are you okay, Fluttershy?"

"...It's just a flesh wound. It isn't all that deep..."

The three bipedal creatures continued to hold the stranger down while the ponies came closer to examine him.

"Well what do you know. It's a diamond dog."

"He doesn't look so good..."

The dog was shaking and growling, the eyeballs almost rotating in their sockets. His mouth was full of foam, and he was babbling hardly intelligible nonsense in a constant stream.

"What do you suppose is wrong with that fella? Besides he being a diamond dog and all, which is a pretty bad affliction in itself..."

Spike was shaking his head.  
>"'Diamond dog' is just a name, Applejack. Just like 'pony'. Inside, you're pretty much the same thing. They're hairier, you're hoofier, that's about it."<p>

Applejack shuddered. She felt the need to double-check.  
>"So let me get this straight: we're part dog."<p>

("Warf."

"Rainbow? Why is your tongue hanging out...? Oh no... You... RAINBOW NO! BAD GIRL! Not now! Don't come any closer! I'm warning you, young lady, I..."

_Slobber._

"Now that's just peachy.")

"That's very romantic, girls, but let's focus on the issue at hoof, shall we?"

("Hey! She was the one who started fillyfooling around!"

"Did I ever tell you you taste delicious?"

"Frequently."

"Well, I'm happy to declare it is still true.")

"I'd say this guy suffers from gem-withdrawal", Spike said, "Diamond Dogs are completely dependent on that stuff. Maybe we should give him the gem Jasper found..."

"Oh, that's just great. Let's fuel the junkie. That's the _moral_thing to do."

"I'm just saying, this way he might calm down for a while."

* * *

><p>It was not a pretty sight. As soon as the dog had the gem in his claws, he started to slobber all over it, making noises so obscene Applejack put her front hooves on Rainbow's ears. But Spike was right: from one second to the next, all aggressiveness had disappeared. The troopers still wouldn't let him out of sight, of course.<p>

After the dog had calmed down a little, Twilight said:  
>"Alright. That's enough of that, Mister."<p>

She magicked the gem out of the dog's claws. The expression on his face was priceless.  
>Instead of attacking, he was falling flat on his belly in front of the purple unicorn.<br>"Oh please, oh great and mighty and _oh so_ _beautiful_unicorn lady, givse us back the preciousss!

"Listen, I..."

"Oh please, meese begging your highness with all the emotion in my little, rotten heart! Please givse back the star of my lowly life, or I shallse surely die..."

"Listen to me, man. You can... lick this particular thing all you want, but first we have a few questions for you."

"Allse the questions in the world, ask them to me, and I will answer, oh yes, answer I will like a..."

"_Thank _you."

* * *

><p>They learned that the dog had been lurking aimlessly through this labyrinth. He had been cut off from the other dogs by a tunnel collapse not far from where they had found him. He was too weak to try and dig back to the main cave.<br>He agreed to lead the ponies through the tunnels. He would have agreed to anything, as long as he had the gem.

Though Fluttershy wasn't hurt all that bad, the troopers insisted on carrying her on their shoulders, at least for a while.

Spike couldn't help but admire her influence on the creatures.  
>"Good job on reprogramming these guys, Fluttershy!"<p>

"...I didn't do anything. But I'm glad they are offering their help."

She noticed some of them were moving in an increasingly odd, sluggish way. As one-way drones unable to feed, they were running out of nutrients.

* * *

><p>They had reached the site of the collapse, and everyone helped to get the tunnel free again. Well, almost everyone.<p>

"Would it kill you to lend us a hoof?"

"Awww, Aplpejack, I already _did_a lot of things! I flew down the well, I found the door... And right now, even though I'm exhausted from my exploits, I'm keeping you company, giving you moral support- that's important. You should thank me."

"I'll thank you as soon as I can see you diggin' like everypony else, sugar cube."

"That's no work for a supersonic pegasus! It's all heavy... and slooooooooow. You're all muscles, and you love digging, right? You do what you do best, I do what I do best. Everypony wins."

"Rainbow, you come down here right now..."

"Jawohl, Fräulein Apfeljack! Schtupid pegasus ist LAZY! You teach her a Lektion!"

"Girl, if you think you can wriggle your way out of this with another guilt-trip..."

"What's gonna happen?"

"You might wanna start looking for a new tent to sleep in this evening."

"Grrgl."

"Glad you see it my way."

* * *

><p>At first glance, the new set of tunnels didn't look all that different from the area they had just traveled through, but after a while they could hear the moaning. The diamond dog guiding the group started to whimper and pressed the gem tightly against his chest. If it weren't for the troopers watching his every move, he even might have tried to run off.<p>

"Say", Twilight wondered, "You don't seem all that happy to go back home."

"Oh powerful and beautiful, gem-giving unicorn lady, whatse is the use of home if there are no gemsss? And ssso many thirsssty dogses?"

"Thirsssty...?"

"For gemsss!"

"Right..."

The bipedalians were now going ahead, weary of new potential attackers.

"Stay back", the one with the bandage on his legs said, "There are many lifeforms ahead. We will observe the situation." It was so rare to hear these beings speak that it made Twilight jump.

A few minutes later, one of the dark creatures made a hand sign that it was safe.

* * *

><p>The ponies were staring at a living lake of miserable, diseased dogs, rolling and shaking on the ground.<p>

"Are they... chewing on one another?"

"I'm afraid so. Sometimes the drug enters the skin and the hair and stays there for weeks... And so they go after it."

Perhaps the most surreal element of this scene was a dog standing in a corner outside the crowd. Though as sickly as the others, he was wearing a black suit, and seemed to be sniffing dog hairs through a straw.

"Well, that's dumb...", Pinkie Pie jumped right into the hairy sea, "What do you think you're doing, you... dogs?"

"We're having a partiiiiiiii...", one of the dogs squeaked.

"That's NOT a party! Parties are supposed to be about FUN, and FRIENDS!"

"We are fwiendsssss..."  
>For the first time in days, the dog was actually looking at the akinetic guy who's feet he had been chewing on.<br>Despite all the horrible things the ponies had seen so far, they were not prepared for what they were seeing now: this particular dog didn't even have fur anymore. In fact, even most of his skin...

Though she did her best to be silent, they could all hear Fluttershy sobbing.

While the ponies were terrorized by this sight, Several dogs had smelled the gem carried by their guide. Before the two troopers guarding him could react, dozens of arms were rising up from the furry mass and pulled the poor, screaming diamond dog as well as his treasure into their midst. A few seconds later, there was a collective burp.

* * *

><p>Still under shock, Twilight decided to talk to the dog in the suit. Maybe he was the craziest of them all, but hey, he was wearing a <em>suit<em>. That had to count for something.

"Tell me... Sir... What is going on here?"  
>He wasn't listening to her, so she knocked the straw out of his hand.<p>

He hissed and flashed his fangs, but two laboratory troopers grabbed his arms.

"Please. We need answers."

The dog seemed to relax somewhat.  
>"We're supposed to dig. Create more caves. Do the Dungeon Master's bidding. He used to give us food, and gems, but for some time now, he only hands out gems to the strongest workers. And he hasn't fed us for ages..."<br>He sniffed. "We're mostly concerned about the gems, though."

"You don't say..."

"Caves like this one are for those who aren't strong enough for digging anymore."

"How do we get out?"

"You don't. There is only one exit- in the Dungeon Master's throne room..."

"Then this is where you will lead us."


	11. The overlord

Fluttershy told the troopers to put her down. She was still hurting, but she couldn't stand the idea she was draining what little strength they had left.

A few tunnels later, they arrived in the largest cave so far.  
>In the center, there appeared to be a big metal sphere, connected to a hole in the ceiling through countless cables and pipes.<br>On the floor all around the sphere, there were suffering diamond dogs, in a similar bad condition as the others they had encountered along the way.

The metal sphere started rotating on its axis. Now the ponies could see that it had a big opening, so one could look into the control room inside. Or rather: The roost. Because the gem lord was an adult dragon. Sitting, as adult dragons often do, on a giant pile of gems.

"Quit whining, you spineless mutts! I already told you: you can either go back digging OR you can go back to the LOSER's cave and DIE. Either way, be QUIET! Do I have to roast you? Ah, why bother..."

The dragon was pushing a red button inside the sphere. There was an acoustic signal somewhere in the neighborhood, and armored dogs appeared.

"You called, gem lord?"

"It's clean-up time again. You know the drill. Get these rejects back to the tunnels. And don't let them slip in here again! Oh wait, this one looks pretty dead. I'll keep him for lunch."

Though the guard dogs were less numerous than the miners, they had no trouble rounding them up and throwing them out of the cave.

"Here. For your trouble."  
>The dragon reached into his treasure and tossed the smallest gem he could find into the paws of a nearby guard dog, immediately causing the canines to fight among another.<p>

"Now that's just dandy", Applejack said, "Just what the doctor recommended. An evil dragon."

Rainbow Dash grinned.  
>"If there is a boss battle coming up, count me in!"<p>

"Believe it or not", Spike said, "I actually know this guy."

"Any chance for a diplomatic solution?", Twilight asked.

"I'll see what I can do."

* * *

><p>"Hey, SPINE, old buddy! Whassup?"<p>

The other dragon frowned as he brought his large head to ground level.

"Well, well, well... What do we have here... If it isn't little Spike. And I mean LITTLE Spike. I swear, you haven't grown an inch since we last met. I, on the other hand... But I suppose you can tell."

"Yeah. Haven't really been practicing greed recently. Would have been a little... you know... anti-social."

"That's rich..."

"Listen, Spine, there are a few things you should know..."

"I'm all ear. After all, you're the least boring thing happening down here so far. And stuff."

Spike told Spine how they had managed to destroy several sectors of the facility, and how they had found the passage to this mining site.  
>"So in short... We're looking for a way out of this joint. Why don't you come with us, instead of pushing around drug victims?"<p>

Spine was leaning back and put on an expression as if he was pondering about the proposition.  
>"So you have betrayed our masters..."<p>

"You know, some masters deserve to be betrayed..."

"True, true. I guess your little story adds up. They haven't been sending supplies down here for quite a while now... Ah well. The best option would still be to keep you and your little friends in custody. Maybe I'll get promoted once things go back to normal! I have enough gems and food to last me for a little while..."

He was staring at the ponies, licking his lips.  
>"Though I must say, I'm starting to get sick of all the rotten... <em>dog meat<em>. Your friends look mighty tasty, pipsqueak. I bet the masters won't mind if I have a little bite."

"Why, you...!"

"Quiet down there. I am picking lunch. Let's see... They say pegasi were the least valuable..."

Hearing this, Rainbow Dash started groaning and pumping steam through her nostrils.

"Oh, don't worry, little dyke. You'd probably give me indigestion anyway. _Par contre_, your little friend here..."  
>He was looking at Fluttershy now.<br>"Hello there. My, my, do we look delicious today..."

Fluttershy squeaked. All two dozen dark troopers moved into a defensive formation around her.

"Isn't that the cutest thing. Too bad your pathetic little friends are unarmed..."

"Oh yeah?", Rainbow Dash yelled, "Well, WE happen to be PONIES!"

"My sentiment exactly", Applejack said, "It's bucking time."

But Spine just grinned, leaned back and pushed a button.

From one second to the other, the cave was filled with crawling, hissing, zombie-like diamond dogs.  
>"Boys, it's gems for everyone who can bring down a pony."<p>

Applejack groaned.  
>"Once again, abundant doom. <em>That<em>'s not a cliché..."

* * *

><p>Except for Rainbow Dash, the ponies had brought only part of their armour and weaponry, since this was supposed to be a scouting mission. Rainbow Dash tried pushing through to the dragon, but diamond dogs were crawling on the walls as well as on the ceiling, jumping or simply dropping on her back.<p>

Fluttershy was paralyzed in grief. Not again! Why all this pain, why this slaughter?  
>She snapped out of it, grabbed a random nearby dog and threw him to the floor. She brought her face close to his.<br>"...Why are you DOING this? It's just gems! They're not worth to kill for! They're not worth to DIE for!"

He wasn't listening, of course. As tears were running down the pony's face, he was actually grinning. He was obviously amused by something going on right behind her.  
>A shadow fell on the pony.<br>When she turned her head, she saw the dark trooper who's leg Rarity had sewed back on. The arm of a diamond dog was sticking out of its chest. Apparently, the huge dog had tried to spear Fluttershy with his claws, and the trooper had jumped between them just in time.  
>Its blood was dripping on the pony's face.<p>

The drone didn't have a face, but had this been the case, it would have smiled.

The ponies were a shrinking island in a sea of roaring junkies.

"That's it. We're dead."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Pinkie produced a large celestial map resembling Twilight's gala dress, unrolled it and put it on the cave wall. Then she put a record on a turntable which had appeared just as mysteriously. All of this happened so fast that even the diseased dogs paused, puzzled.

"Pinkie, what on... or under... Earth are you doing?"

"You'll see! Oh _Dashie_! C'm Here!"

She hoofed her pegasus friend a cardboard box painted to look like some generic food item.

"What am I even supposed to do with this?"

"Put it on, silly! It's a costume!"

"A costume of what? And besides..."

"Do it!"

Pinkie was suspiciously cheerful, given the situation. Then again, Pinkie was a pony who blossomed in impending doom.

"What now?"

"Rainbow, I want you to run in front of the map! I want to see your mane and your tail waving in the air! And look at the audience! Smile!"

"Pinkie, how is that going to help us?"

"Trust me on this, you guys! This is going to be great..."

* * *

><p>And then she was playing the record. It was the strangest song Rainbow Dash had ever heard, and it was playing in an endless loop. It actually had a hypnotic quality to it...<p>

"What is that even supposed to be?"

"I think the lyrics are 'NyanNyanNyanNyan'..."

"Look! Whatever Pinkie's plan is, it seems to be working!"

The Diamond Dogs in the cave were staring at Rainbow's performance, dazzled. Slobber was dripping from their mouths. All intentions to attack the ponies had been erased from their minds. As well as everything else, it seemed.

"Ooooh... rainbow-colored..."

_NyanNyanNyanNyan..._

"What is this?", the dragon protested, don't watch this! It is rotting your brains! You have to obey me! I... I'll put an end to this!"

The dragon prepared to roast Rainbow with his fire breath. But without even leaving the blue pegasus with their eyes, dozens and dozens of dogs jumped their former master and held him down.

"Hey! No fair! You're supposed to be MY peons!"

Rainbow laughed.

"Great job, Pinkie! Now when can I stop doing this? I'm getting kinda dizzy!"

"Stop it?", Pinkie said with a smug expression on her face, "What makes you think you could ever _stop, _Dashie?"

"That's not funny! It's starting to freak me out..."

"Muhahahaha! Endless Nyan-Dash!"  
>She was rubbing her front hooves together.<br>"I've been waiting for this way too long!"

"I'll get you for this, Pinkie!"

* * *

><p>"ENOUGH!"<br>With one last, powerful move, the dragon was able to shake off the dogs.  
>"One tray of roasted ponies, coming up!<p>

"...Hey, Mr. BigBadDragon", Fluttershy said.

Twilight felt a shiver running down her spine. She had never seen that kind of expression in the yellow pegasus' face. Or heard that kind of chill in her voice.  
>It even made Pinkie lower the volume of the horrible Nyan-song.<p>

"...You might notice there is something unusual going on in your ears..."

Spine stopped. The pegasi chick was right. There WAS something in his ear. He hadn't noticed since the last few minutes had been so chaotic... But now that he knew, it was obvious. Something was scratching, and itching, and snickering...

"Waaah! WHAT IS THAT THING?"  
>He was beating against the side of his head, even trying to reach into the auditory canal with his ungainly claw. To no avail.<p>

"...Why, it is Mister Scratchy. And if you would shift your attention to the left ear, you will find that Miss Toothy has also moved into position. Are you feeling how their little clawed hands are massaging your eardrums?"

"Oh odd... Oh odd..."

"...That's right. See, these little cuties are BURROWING animals. I've seen them dig through frozen soil. I think flesh is a lot softer. Not to mention... brain tissue."

"Please... I..."

"...Tell me, Mr. BigBadDragon, how does it feel to be _helpless_? To be _at the mercy_of others? Are you wondering whether you have been a bad, bad dragon, toying with the lives of others? Are you wondering whether someone is finally in position to give you your well-deserved punishment?"

Fluttershy was coming closer, and incredibly enough, the big dragon was trembling.

"...Now, you might wonder whether I could actually give my cute animal friends an order as cruel as boring into someone's brain.  
>I could not.<br>But should they think you were a threat to me, or my friends... They might come to their own conclusions."

"Please... Not my brain... Please, m-make it stop..."  
>And then he was actually crying.<p>

"...There, there. You're going to be a nice dragon from now on, right? Yes you are. Yes you are. Down, boy."

The dragon fell flat on his belly.

"...Good. Now, get rid of these horrible gems."

"But..."

"Ahem."

Crying more than ever, the dragon pushed the self-destruction button of his command capsule. He was able to climb out just in time, before it turned to ashes with everything inside, in a surprisingly unspectacular manner.

Almost immediately, he started shrinking, until the rodent's tails were visible, hanging out of the dragon's ears.

"...That's a good boooy. Now what do we say when we've done horrible things?"

"I... I'm sorry..."

"Louder!"

"I... I'm sorry!"

"Louder..."

"...S-Sorry...!"

"LOUDER!"

"I Am Sorry! Please... please don't hurt me..."

Mister Scratchy and Miss Toothy were jumping out of the dragon's ears just in time. Spine was still larger than Spike, but a pretty scrawny reptile none the less.

"...There we go. That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

* * *

><p>It was quite bad, actually.<p>

Fluttershy was caressing the severely wounded trooper's head.  
>Rarity had done her best to fix the creature once again, but weak as it was, its chance of survival was obviously slim.<p>

Even those of the troopers who had managed to avoid major injuries were now sitting or laying on the floor. Their short lives were coming to an end.

"...You were so brave", Fluttershy said, "And I couldn't save you..."

"But you _have _saved us, Miss Fluttershy", the trooper said, "We were only there to die. But you gave us words... and feelings."

Fluttershy was shaking her head, struggling with her tears again.

"There will be others like us..."  
>The dying drone tried to wrap it in words its feeble vocabulary could provide.<br>"You have a mission... A prime directive... As long as you stay on your path... things will be the way they should be..."

One after the other, the dark troopers were dissolving, going out like candles.  
>When Fluttershy finally started crying, her first tears were dropping on the trooper's helmet, and the last on the cave floor.<p>

Then she got up. She had dogs to look after.


End file.
